Betazed
by gorblimey2
Summary: Fanfic Award Winner. House's psychic wife died leaving him with a psychic son. He's at a lost as to how to deal with his son's growing talent. He meets another psychic at a Star Trek Convention. Can House find love with her? humor,action.
1. Chapter 1

**Dear Readers: This story is the sequel to Intuitive. However, if you do not want to read Intuitive, the simple summary is that House fell in love with a psychic who had his baby. They were married for a short period when Teagan, the psychic, died of a tumor. Teagan had worked for the FBI when she was younger, but had burned out (always feeling the pain and sorrow of the loved ones of the dead victim) and went to live in the mountains near Yosemite where she had a small cabin. This story takes place years later.**

**Betazed**

**Chapter 1**

I'm eight years old, but Uncle Jimmy says that I'm older than my Dad. He's fifty-six, but please don't get me wrong, I love my Dad. According to Uncle Jimmy, Dad's an overgrown teenager. Actually, Uncle Jimmy thinks Dad's an overgrown horny teenager, but he never says that, he just thinks it. I'm taller than most of the kids my age and because my IQ is over 140, I have a good grasp of things around me. Most people think I'm twelve and are usually shocked when I tell them my real age.

I lived for over a year with Uncle Jimmy and his fourth wife, Jennifer. I was eight months old when my Mom died and my Dad apparently went bonkers. I lived with Dad until I was almost a year old, but he couldn't handle a baby, losing my mother, the pain in his bad leg and his work. It was just too much. After Uncle Jimmy found me, an eleven month old at the time, sitting one morning by my Dad, who was passed out on the floor with a bottle of Maker's Mark, he went ballistic. I can still feel the panic in Uncle Jimmy and his disappointment in my Dad. It was then that I went to live with Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Jennifer. From what they say, I ran around gurgling and squealing at their wedding, causing quite a show, until my Dad corralled me and held me all through the ceremony.

I went back to live with my Dad just after my second birthday. Uncle Jimmy kept worrying about whether the rehab had worked, but he realized I needed my Dad no matter how much I loved Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Jennifer. Dad stopped taking Vicodin and now he only drinks a little. I still stay with Uncle Jimmy whenever Dad has a problem getting home on time or has to stay over at the hospital. That happens a couple times a week. Sometimes I ask to stay over at Uncle Jimmy's because I want to play with my friends in his neighborhood or I need help doing a school project. Dad's not big on making shadow boxes or paper mache.

I have to admit, I like staying with Uncle Jimmy. When I'm with Uncle Jimmy, I feel normal or as normal as someone like me can feel. I have chores at Uncle Jimmy's; I eat at the table; and he bought me a dog. My Dad insisted that the dog be called Moron because he's not the brightest tool in the tool shed, but I love him and he's lots of fun. He's a purebred Golden Retriever. My Dad says that Golden Retrievers have more inbreeding than a Jerry Lee Lewis reunion, whatever that means.

I have friends that live next door to Uncle Jimmy that I play with when I stay over. I go to the school in Uncle Jimmy's neighborhood. When I'm at our townhouse, either my Dad takes me to school or Uncle Jimmy picks me up and takes me. Once in awhile Aunt Jennifer gives me a ride. When I stay at Uncle Jimmy's, I just take the bus like everyone else.

My Dad loves me, but he's lonely for female company. He frequently imagines women naked or him kissing them. He occasionally has friends spend the night when I'm at Uncle Jimmys. But I never get to meet his female friends. He says it would cost too much for them to stay until morning so that I could meet them.

I know for a fact that my Dad loved a woman before my mother. We ran into her once when I was six. She was with her husband and they were shopping at the local mall. The husband hated my Dad. I was used to this reaction, but I wasn't used to what the woman was feeling. She wanted desperately to be with my father and I could feel that my father had similar feelings for her. When he first saw her, I could see the pain in his eyes, feel his attraction to her. But then he introduced me. He looked down into my eyes and he immediately felt a different pain. He saw my mother in me and the feelings of attraction for the woman were overwhelmed by his feelings of pain and loss. His longing for my mother was so painful that I broke out in tears right there in front of everyone. Dad immediately knew that it was his pain causing my outburst, so he deliberately focused on getting me an ice cream. We made our excuses and walked away from the woman. But I looked back and I knew when she looked into my eyes, that she was jealous of my mother. She wished I was her son. I didn't understand that then, I'm not sure I understand it now.

"Uncle Jimmy, it's perfect. You and Dad can go to the Medical Technology Advancements Convention and I can go to the Star Trek convention."

I could feel his gut reaction was no. I had to win him over. "No. You can't go by yourself to a convention."

"Uncle Jimmy, I wouldn't be alone. You and Dad could take turns taking me around the convention."

He was still unconvinced, "How are we suppose to attend a medical convention and a Star Trek convention at the same time?"

"You and Dad could take take turns and the other take notes. Come on Uncle Jimmy, it's the weekend of my birthday. Please? I won't ask for anything else."

He was melting. He nodded, "You're absolutely right that you won't be asking for anything more."

I was excited; I could feel him say yes. I also felt him get nervous, "Now we have to convince your father."

Uncle Jimmy always worried whenever he had to ask my Dad to do anything, but I didn't. My Dad always moaned and said that he wouldn't do what Uncle Jimmy asked, but rarely did he follow through on his protests. Typically, Dad ended up doing what Uncle Jimmy told him to do. I could hear Dad's wheels turning, mulling over what was asked of him. In the beginning, Dad would resist and imagine scenarios where he blew off Uncle Jimmy, but then it was as if he flicked on a switch and the logical part of his brain would take over. He would reluctantly decide that Uncle Jimmy was right.

We were in the car on our way back to our townhouse. Dad had purchased it after two years of urging by Uncle Jimmy. We moved into it a few years ago. It was three bedrooms and two baths. The living room was large enough for my Dad's piano and his ego, so I usually spent my time in my room or the kitchen, talking to my Dad.

When we walked up the steps I turned to Uncle Jimmy, "He's home and he's angry at Dr. Cuddy for something."

Uncle Jimmy looked down at me and scowled, "Maybe we should ask him another time. What's he mad at Cuddy for?"

I opened the gate and listened, "He's upset over her decision to not let him perform a brain biopsy on a little girl."

"Damn him. I told him earlier not to ask her. Well, let's go in."

We went inside and Dad was sprawled on the couch watching the National Geographic Channel. There was a show with some naked Africans dancing and painting themselves. He looked up at me, "You see that." He pointed at the television screen, "That's why God made bras."

"You don't believe in God, remember?" I said, putting down my backpack.

He looked between the two of us and frowned, "Forget it. Whatever it is, you can forget it. I'm not in the mood to deal with anything."

"But Daddddd!"

"Furey, I don't want to hear it." He looked up at Uncle Jimmy who was standing in his jacket, holding his car keys, "I can take him to school tomorrow; we canceled the operation."

"Yeah, I heard." Uncle Jimmy said.

My Dad looked at him strangely, "Cuddy say something?"

Uncle Jimmy nodded at me, "No, the Betazed did."

Dad looked at me and narrowed his eyes, "What did I tell you about doing that?"

"You were broadcasting. It was like a radio station on full blast. It wasn't my fault."

Dad gave me a face, "Boo hoo, stop whining."

"House, he wants to go to the Star Trek convention in San Diego for his birthday. There's a Medical Technology Convention at the same time. The whole trip would be a write-off."

"No." Dad said, shaking his head.

I opened the gate to find out what he was really thinking.

_I know you're there, now stay out of my head Furey. I'm not going to some lame Trekkie convention. _

_But Dad! It's the weekend of my birthday and they're going to have the cast from the new movie._

_Get out of my head!!! _

_Please Dad, please. It's all I want for my birthday I don't want anything else._

He turned and yelled at me, "I said, get out of my head!"

Uncle Jimmy held up a hand, "House, come on. Don't yell at him; he's a good kid and you know he lives, eats and breathes Star Trek. Come on, it's his birthday."

My Dad glared at me, "San Diego?"

I began to smile; I could feel him change, relax. When I grinned, he almost smiled. He held back, but I could feel his affection. Sometimes when he looked his meanest, he would really be feeling something different, like now. All I could feel was his affection, so I knew I had a good chance. Most people don't understand my Dad. They either think he is a jerk or a cruel, heartless man. But my Dad is just different. He doesn't like stupidity and he doesn't like to be wrong. He's too smart for his own good and he hates being told what to do.

Everyone says I look like him, blue eyes, tall. I have brown, wavy hair and long fingers. They say I even have some of his mannerisms when I get upset or when I'm thinking. I'm smart and everyone thinks it's because of him, but he thinks I'm smart because my mom was smart too. So I guess I got a double dose of bright.

He taught me to play the piano when I was three, the guitar when I was five. He loves it when we play together. He doesn't tell me, but he thinks I'm good. I like it when I please him; he's not someone who feels joy a lot. For some reason, I can make him laugh more than anyone else. I can also make him angrier than anyone else.

My grandmother comes out from San Diego to see us once in awhile. My grandfather died several years ago. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

He didn't smile or frown, "You better call your grandmom and let her know we're coming. She's going to want to see you while we're there."

I was so excited; I ran over and threw my arms around him. He didn't want to put his arms up and hug me in front of Uncle Jimmy, but I lifted the gate and yelled, "I love you Dad." I didn't do that too often because it always threw him for a loop. But whenever I did, he couldn't help but react. He started to laugh, grabbed me and started to give me noogies. We wrestled for a few minutes and then he gave me a quick peck on my cheek.

"Get your sorry butt in there and do your homework. We're having pizza tonight." he swatted me on the butt as I left. "Wilson, do you want to stay for dinner?"

Uncle Jimmy shook his head, "I'm going to go home and buy us Convention tickets."

"First class for us." Dad nodded at me, "_He_ can sit in economy, he's small."

5


	2. Chapter 2

**Betazed**

**Chapter 2**

**To Boldly Go**

I've been a nerd all thirty-nine years of my life. I get it from my Dad, who named me Aurigae because I was born on the day the last Star Trek episode aired, June 3rd, 1969. Aurigae Beta was where the Enterprise was headed on their last episodic mission. I asked him why he didn't name me Janice, since the female lead for that episode was Dr. Janice Lester. He smirked and said it was too mundane for a smart girl like me. That was my Dad for you. Most people call me Auri, which I prefer.

Obviously, I missed watching when the original Star Trek first aired, but I was glued to the set in September, 1987 when _The Next Generation_ debuted. My Dad took me to my first Star Trek Convention in the early seventies. It was held in the old and tattered San Diego Hotel, downtown San Diego. The rooms were dark and dingy, quite small for a convention. But, in 1977, not too many people went to Star Trek conventions. Star Trek had been off the air for eight years and, although it did well in reruns, the conventions weren't exactly popular except among the faithful. Star Wars had just come out and it had blown most of us away with its special effects.

How did I get started on the history of Star Trek? Oh,that's right, I was going to tell you how I met Gregory Scott Furey. I wasn't going to go to the Star Trek Convention being held downtown San Diego. I hadn't been to a convention in years. I was scheduled to attend a lecture in the Convention Center early in the morning and, when I saw a group of Klingons shopping in the Gas Lamp District, I decided I would buy myself a one day pass. Then I discovered that both Bill Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were going to appear on stage Saturday, so I purchased a weekend pass. Besides, if I got tired of the Convention, there were plenty of restaurants, galleries and a shopping mall nearby. I could keep myself occupied.

I loved all the Sci Fi shows, but Star Trek held a special place in my heart because I shared it with my Dad. I buried him with a phaser by his side. I figured that way, if he found himself in hell, he could blast his way out. But Dad wasn't going to hell; he was my champion. My mother was a druggie and she practically threw me to him when I was born and was out the door in the next breath. But that was okay. My Dad and I were a good team. When he married Jane, I gave her a hard time for about a year (I was ten), but then I calmed down and realized she had a big heart, just like my Dad. I wasn't an easy kid to raise because I was _different_. My grandma had to move out to San Diego to teach me how to grow up sane while being different.

I didn't wear a uniform or costume to the convention; I never did. I had one, but I only wore it at Halloween. Friday night I made my way to the convention center which in San Diego looks like a large cement sail boat. It's a pretty building and is distinctive, but it is rather large meaning I had to past two conferences, one which was the Travel Goods Association and the other the Advances in Medical Technology Symposium. I was beginning to think I was lost, but relieved to see three Klingons as I turned the corner. They were talking to a Bijoran and a Romulan.

I saw the four lines in front of the reception tables, each with a set of letters over them. I got into the 'F-L' line. I was standing, reading the schedule when I heard a boy's voice.

_I'm glad it's Dad, Uncle Jimmy would be polite and sit where he's suppose to sit. Dad will get us up front._

I looked up and didn't see anyone talking. Behind me were two teenage Ferengi. I smiled because that they were the best Ferengi I had ever seen at a Trek convention, their ears were so realistic. In front of me was a woman and her daughter apparently waiting for her son to return to the line from the bathroom.

"Look, I'm a cripple here...move this a little faster or let me move to the front of the line!" A crippled man with a cane standing next to a boy was making a fuss. He seemed to be capable of standing, but he went to the front of the line and yelled at the woman behind the desk, "I can't stand long hours, where's your boss?"

The boy stayed in line to hold their place, but the man motioned for the boy to join him.

_Oh Dad, not this...wait until we get inside to play the cripple card, to get us up front._

I couldn't see who was talking, but I assumed it had to be the boy because he hung his head and shook it in embarrassment as his father continued to motion for him to come to the front of the line. The boy turned to look at the long line behind him. Our eyes met briefly and I was shocked by how blue they were. He looked so much like the man making a fuss at the front of the line that there was no mistaking they were father and son. The boy skulked to the front and within minutes they both disappeared into the Exhibition Room.

A half hour later I was registered and had my badge. I had purchased the Gold Package, entitling me to a reserved seat in the first five rows back from the stage. The first guest, Marina Sirtis was scheduled to start in fifteen minutes. I went to the bathroom and then made my way up to my seat. I found my seat, but it was occupied by the crippled man.

"Excuse me, you're in my seat." I smiled at him.

He looked me over without smiling. He was trying to sum me up, figure out what I might do. I felt a slight panic from the little boy, the man was just annoyed. Unfortunately, I could also see that his pain was unbearable sometimes, not the leg, the pain he felt from 'the loss.' I sensed that he was debating between standing his ground or giving in.

"Look, here's my ticket. Your son has my seat. If you'll show me your ticket, maybe we can find you your seat."

He said nothing, but he was clearly pissed at me for stirring the pot. I could tell that he didn't want to push it with me for some reason. I was tempted to listen in and find out what he was really thinking, but I resisted the temptation. He scooted over a seat, his son did too and I sat down next to them.

The father got up, "I'll be back; I've got to pee." He took off, his cane clacking across the floor and out the side exit of the large hall. The room sat over 4,000 people in lines of eighty chairs each. Only the last two rows of the auditorium had empty seats.

I could clearly hear his son.

_Man, that was close, I'm glad he didn't make a scene or they might have made us move to the back where we belong._

I turned sharply to look at the boy. My seats had cost me an extra $150 over the seats in the back and I was pissed that this boy and his father were essentially stealing the seats. The boy's expression turned from eager anticipation to fear when he saw my eyes, wide open from his admission, staring at him.

"You don't have gold seats?" I asked, my mouth drawn and my eyes narrowed.

His eyes bugged out and he swallowed hard. He slowly shook his head.

I thought about it. I could feel his terror, the idea that if he had to move back now, he'd have to sit way in the back. "You know, if the people who have those seats come, you're going to have to move back?"

He nodded. He looked so worried and embarrassed, I took pity on him. He looked like he was ten, maybe older, maybe younger. His t-shirt was one of the older, "Search for Spock" shirts. They had been out of print for over fifteen years so I knew he must be a real fan.

I turned in my seat to face the front and heard him say, _Oh man, I wish Dad had let Uncle Jimmy buy the seats._

"Why? Do you have Silver or Open seats?" I asked him. The silver seats started five rows back and the open seats, which were the cheapest, started ten rows back.

"We have gold seats, but they're in the fifth row. My Dad convinced the other guy who tried to get us to move that these were the handicap seats. He told him that his seat had been moved back to where ours really are. He cheated."

He was so worried that I was going to give him up that I smiled as warmly as I could, "Cool shirt. I bought it when it first came out. Mine's faded now."

He grinned and nodded, "My Uncle Jimmy bought it for me on Ebay. It's so rad."

"Yeah, it's not my favorite movie, but I enjoyed it." I looked up to see his father coming back to take his seat.

He smiled, "My favorite movie is _"The Wrath of Khan."_

I nodded, "Sweet, mine too!"

"I'm Greg." he said with the kindest voice I had heard come from a kid.

"I'm Aurigae Beta."

He cocked his head and stared at me as if I was playing a joke on him._ "_Like the planet in Star Trek? For real?"

I giggled, "For real. But you can call me Auri."

His father sat down and looked at the two of us. I had a chance to finally get a good look at him. He was tall, grayish brown hair with a long face. He had a short clipped beard and the nicest looking fingers I had ever seen on a man. I figured he was fifty, maybe more.

"My Dad plays piano." Greg said.

I turned my gaze from the father's fingers back to the little boy, "Cool. Then it hit me, pictures of the two of them playing piano together and then guitar. "Are you any good at playing piano Greg?"

I was surprised to hear the father respond, "I'm sorry, but he doesn't know you. I don't know you. You're a stranger." Then he looked at his son, "What did we tell you about strangers?"

I looked up at the father and opened my mind. The flood of noise in his head was incredible. _Cute...what forty? And going to Star Trek Conventions by herself? Pathetic. And what is it with that kid? He'll strike up a conversation with anyone. He has to learn that you can't just talk to anyone. Still, she's got nice legs and perky breasts. I'd tap that. Too bad I'm not here by myself. I wonder if she likes one night stands? Maybe a quickie when Wilson takes over. Should I even bother striking up a conversation? Nah, there's that cute thirtyish Urologist I met this morning...she's young and hot. I'll work on her. This one would probably want to give me a Spock pinch and ask me to call her Bones while we're screwing. Besides, she's laughing to herself...probably bonkers. _

I looked over quickly at him, laughing. I shook my head.

I heard his son, _Don't believe everything my Dad thinks, he's not as bad as he sounds. _

I glanced down at the boy, but he wasn't saying a word. However, he was looking at me and he had clearly communicated with me. _Were you talking to me?_ I thought.

He smiled. I could feel his excitement, _Then you can hear me! Right? You can hear me think, can't you?_

I chuckled, it had been a long time since I had met someone like myself, especially someone this good at this age. _Have you always been an Intuitive?_

He nodded.

_Has it been hard for you to learn how to control your talent?_

He said outloud, "Sometimes. My Dad doesn't like it."

His father turned and looked at him, "I don't like what?"

He smiled at me and then turned to his Dad, "Star Trek Conventions."

"Well look at everyone? It's mass hysteria. They all have a common belief that this is real."

The little boy and I looked at each other and grinned. We said in unison, "It is!" and then started to giggle.

His father shook his head, but I could see him start to melt in the delight of his son's laughter. The show started and we stopped giggling, but Greg and I kept up our conversation.

_She still looks good, doesn't she?_ I asked as Deanna Sirtis took the stage.

_I like Betazeds because they're like us._

_Yeah, me too. I thought it was cool that they could read emotions and minds. But I didn't like the way she always held her head and talked about, 'the pain' as if all anyone ever felt was pain._

He giggled and nodded.

We talked the whole way through the presentation and I found out that the boy was only eight. He sounded and looked several years older. He was brilliant and I could see his mind when he thought in abstracts. His mind formed images most of the time rather than words. They were clear, concise images B very logical in their patterns.

_Where's your mother?_

_She died when I was a baby._

I felt a wave of sadness, a longing more for what he_ thought_ he was missing than what he actually was missing. _That's a shame. So it's just you and your Dad?_

_And Uncle Jimmy. He's not really my uncle; he's like a second Dad._

My mind went off track. It didn't make sense, the thoughts coming from his father were very heterosexual. Yet this child was telling me that he had an "Uncle" Jimmy that was like a second Dad. He felt my confusion.

He was shocked when he realized I thought he was insinuating his father was gay. He didn't send me the thought, instead he shouted out, "My Dad's not gay!"

His father jerked his head around in shock to stare at the boy along with half the audience. Everyone who heard started laughing. His father stared down at his son, brow furred, nose wrinkled, "Thanks for that revelation, but where did that come from?"

The boy looked at me and then shook his head, "I just thought of something. Sorry Dad."

His father looked at me suspiciously and then shrugged. We all turned our attention to Marina Sirtis, who was still glancing occasionally in our direction, amused at the outburst. I smiled to myself.

_Thanks for letting me know he's not gay. _

_You'd like my Dad._

I chuckled; I could see images in his head of his father and me holding hands walking by a lake during a sunset, him playing by us. It was like a Hallmark Card, a juvenile idea of what love is. This was an intuitive attempt at a setup. I wanted to hug the boy; he was so excited about the idea. I had to be gentle. I sent back images of his father, the boy and I having lunch, me shaking their hands and walking off, a sign of friendship. He looked up into my eyes with sadness and disappointment. I so wanted to hug the boy. I had unwittingly crushed his hopes.

The seminar ended and I got up to go into the dealer's room where the booths and tables selling Star Trek and Science Fiction Memorabilia were set up. I felt Greg behind me. I turned and saw him dragging his father by the hand towards the dealer's room or me, I wasn't sure. He slowed up as soon as he got close to me, tailing a few feet behind. I chortled, the kid was tenacious. I turned and smiled at him.

"Are you planning on buying anything exciting?"

He looked up at his Dad and then back to me, "It's my birthday today."

I smiled brightly, "Really? Oh, so you're Dad is going to buy you something from the dealers?" I glanced up at his Dad who was shaking his head.

He looked very soberly at me, "This trip was his birthday gift."

"Oh? Where are you from?"

"Princeton."

My mouth dropped open, "Wow! That's a long way to come for a Star Trek Convention!"

The little boy took advantage of the segue. He immediately transmitted a picture of his father in an office in a hospital, _My Dad is a world famous doctor. People come from all over the world to be treated by him. You'd like him._

It was obvious that the little boy and I were staring at each other too long without saying anything and it was making his father both uncomfortable and suspicious. His Dad said, "His grandmother lives here in San Diego. It was a three-fer...I go to the Medical Technology Conferece; he goes to the Star Trek Convention and we see his grandmother."

"Well, that's quite a gift." I continued to walk into the dealer's room, Greg by my side.

The little boy looked up at me with those incredible eyes, "I want to buy the first edition Star Trek Compendium with money my Uncle Jimmy gave me."

"How much did he give you?"

"$20, but he also gave me a Chemistry set."

I looked closely at him, "Have you ever seen the Concordance with the wheel?"

He nodded, "On Ebay, not in person. But I can't afford it."

"Would you like to see one in person?'

The boy nodded enthusiastically. I motioned for him to follow me. We made our way past tables of fanzines, books, Hallmark ornaments, uniforms, bumper stickers, Fanfics, calendars, jewelry, masks, and other souvenirs for the Trekkie to take home to evidence their affection for the series. I found Trevor, my favorite dealer. Trevor was as much a Trekkie as I am and he was a fair dealer, charging fair prices.

"Hi Trev. This is my friend Greg and his Dad..." I turned and looked at the tall doctor.

"Greg. Greg House." He pointed to his son, "We're a pair of Gregs."

"I was going to show Greg the Compendium. Can you get it for me?"

"Sure." Trevor turned to find the Compendium.

I put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Trevor emailed me that he found one. I have two at home, but he says this one is mint. I get first dibs on it."

Trevor handed me the Compendium in plastic. He also handed me a well-used one so that Greg could peruse the pages without disturbing the mint one in plastic. Greg handled it like it was the Book of Kells. His mouth was slightly open in awe as he turned the pages. His father stood behind him, interested at first, and then quickly bored.

"What do you think Greg?" I asked the little boy.

He looked up at me, his eyes big and his hands gripping the used one. "How much is it?"I could feel his father's disapproval right away. He knew that his son coveted the book.

Trevor said, "$75 because it's in mint condition."

I felt the little boy's hopes fade; he knew his Dad wouldn't fork out $75 after paying for the trip and convention. I saw him look around briefly, realizing he was looking for someone else. I opened the gate and saw that he was looking for _Uncle Jimmy_, but Uncle Jimmy wasn't around. He swallowed and looked up at his father. His eyes were sad; he could feel the resistance from his father like a brick wall. He didn't dare ask him to buy it for him, "Dad? Could you loan me $55? I'll pay you out of my allowance."

"No! You spend your money on stupid action figures. I'm not giving you $55 for a Star Trek Compendium."

I turned to his father, "To be fair, it's quite a collectible and will only go up in value."

A tall fat guy in his early twenties saw me holding the mint version of the Compendium and asked Trevor, "Is that for sale?"

Trevor nodded, "But these two have first rights to buy."

The guy eyed it greedily, "How much?"

"$75."

"I'll give you $85." The fat man said.

Greg looked at his father with his eyes wide open, as if to ask for his protection. He desperately wanted his father to change his mind so that he could have it. There was a long pause, but we could both feel that his father wasn't relenting.

I smiled, "Sorry, but I'm buying the book." As I pulled out my wallet, I felt disappointment radiate from little Greg. He was still upset that he couldn't have it, but little Greg was glad the fat guy didn't get it. I pulled out $85 and handed it to Trevor.

Trevor shook his head, "I told you $75 and I'll stand by that."

I shook my head back, "I tell you what, I'll give you $80. I want to do what's fair to you Trevor, you've been good to me over the years." I handed him $80 and he bagged it for me.

Greg the elder put his long fingers on Greg the Junior's shoulders, "Time to find Uncle Jimmy, I want to go to a presentation at 11:00 am."

Little Greg looked up at me, "Are you going to be here for the whole convention?"

I gave him an enthusiastic nod, "Off and on. Look, I want you to have this." I handed the Compendium to him and then thought, _As one intuitive to another. I want you to see this and remember that your talent is a gift, not something to abuse or be afraid of, understand?_

He nodded and took the book, "Thank you, Auri."

"You're welcomed Greg."

"Wait a second." His father said. We turned to look at him, "What's in it for you?"

I opened the gate and could feel both my mind and little Greg's searching to find out what he was thinking. The doctor was very suspicious of me, wondering if I was trying to kidnap his son or get something out of him. I was thinking through a response when I heard a very firm _Get out of my head!_ I realized that Greg senior was screaming it in his mind. I was shocked that he could feel me. But he was looking down at his son with a firm scowl. I quickly realized he was chastising his son, not me. That didn't surprise me, non-intuitives can sometimes pick up on an Intuitive reading them if they're close to the person. They begin to get a "feeling" when someone's in their mind. My Dad and Grandmother knew, but not all the time. Usually, I got away with my scanning, I was very good at doing it without anyone knowing, but sometimes I got sloppy and they could feel me.

I realized that the father was very perceptive and might be somewhat Intuitive himself. Intuitives span the scale from people who are just a good judge (without knowing why) of others, to full blown telepaths and empaths. Little Greg was a full blown Intuitive like myself. I had only met four in my whole life. I wondered if it had been passed down by his father or his mother.

"Doctor, I have several of these Compendiums, I don't really know why I need another. I just want Greg to have something for his birthday from the Convention. Something he'll remember. I promise I'm not going to kidnap him or do anything devious. As cute as he is, I think he's too attached to his Dad to steal him away."

I felt his mind relax a little, but he was still concerned. Greg looked up at his Dad, "Can I keep it Dad?"

His father could see that if he said no, he'd be crushed. He sighed, "I guess."

Little Greg threw his arms around me and hugged me so hard the air escaped up from my diaphragm. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I patted his back and glanced over at his Dad.

His father smiled slightly, the first time he showed any positive reaction, "He gets the smaltz from his mother. Come on Dude, let's find Wilson. Thank you for the book." He grabbed Little Greg's hand and pulled him into the crowd, the little boy staring intensely back at me.

_We'll be back for lunch. Please don't eat lunch without us._

_Thanks Greg, but you're Dad doesn't want to have anything to do with me. Good luck sweetie, bye, bye._

_No! We'll be back, wait until at least one o'clock...please?_

That was the last I heard, I closed the gate firmly so that he couldn't reach me. I smiled, but something in me was drawn to the little boy. He reminded me of someone. He looked just like his father, but there was something so kind, so gentle and I certainly didn't feel that from his father. I swore I wouldn't, but I didn't eat at noon, even though my stomach was growling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**I'm a Doctor Not a Psychic**

"She's blonde and a few inches taller than me and she loves Star Trek. She was really, really nice. And she bought me this Compendium for my birthday! It cost $80!"

Uncle Jimmy looked at Dad skeptically, "You let a complete stranger buy him an $80 gift?"

My Dad ignored Uncle Jimmy's obvious distrust of Auri's gift. I was frustrated. I couldn't tell them that we had carried on a conversation in our minds or my father would go nuts. He doesn't like people getting in his head; he likes control and subterfuge. If I told him that Auri could read his mind, he'd go nuts and would stay a hundred miles away from her.

Uncle Jimmy looked at my Dad, "The Urologist is on the panel in the next seminar at 11:00. I'll take Furey to the Klingon Language School and then we can meet up around 12:30 for lunch. Should I come back over here to get you?"

"No, Dad!" I jumped in, staring at my father, "Uh, there's a cafeteria over by the Trek Convention. Why don't you come over there?"

He scowled, "I don't want crappy Convention Hall hot dogs for lunch."

I was desperate, "Well then just come over and look at the menu. If you don't like it, we can go somewhere else."

He knew something was up, but he wanted to find a good seat to stare at the Urologist, so he nodded. Uncle Jimmy and I took off for the Klingon Language School.

I caught a glimpse of Auri going into the Star Trek fanfic session in another room. I pointed in her direction, "There Uncle Jimmy, that's her!"

He caught a quick glimpse before she disappeared into the room. "She looks nice. I was expecting a Vulcan with blonde hair."

We found seats. "Don't you think she would be great for Dad?"

Uncle Jimmy sputtered and coughed. "You mean, as a friend?"

"Yeah, instead of those friends he pays to come and spend the night."

There was a lot more coughing as Uncle Jimmy turned bright red. "How do you know about that?"

I was confused, "About what? Dad's friends? The ones that I don't get to meet?"

He nodded.

"I asked him why they never stayed over for me to meet them and he told me that they only stayed an hour and then had other places to go. Why?"

"Have you ever met any of the women your Dad dates?"

I nodded, "I met Jody, but then she got transferred back to England."

"I remember Quincy, you were about four when he dated her. Too bad her Visa ran out, I think your Dad really liked her."

I thought about it. I was pretty young, but I do remember him liking Quincy a lot and being disappointed when she left. But, at the time, my Dad was still uncertain about life with a child and life without my Mom. It had just been bad timing and he seemed to recover fairly quickly when she left. "I met Cory too, but I didn't like her. She was pretty, but I was smarter than her and I was only six at the time."

Uncle Jimmy winced, "Yeah, well your Dad was impressed by her other assets."

"Yeah, he sure thought a lot about her breasts. I remember that."

Uncle Jimmy threw a hand up to his forehead and blushed again. I wasn't sure why, but it didn't matter. Cory didn't last too long before Dad grew bored of her.

I liked Auri a lot and she understood my gift. I thought about telling Uncle Jimmy that she's an Intuitive, but I knew he couldn't keep his mouth shut and he'd tell my Dad.

The class got out around 12:30. I opened my mind as far as I could to search through the thousands of voices and find her. I was frustrated. She either had the gate shut or I wasn't as familiar with her _thought voice _as I thought I was.

_Hey Dude, learn any Klingon?_

_Auri! Where are you?_

_Out having a cup of coffee. I'm out on the veranda next to the coffee cart._

_We'll be right there._

_We?_

_Uncle Jimmy and me...over and out._

I grabbed Uncle Jimmy's hand and dragged him towards the coffee cart. "Come on Uncle Jimmy, I want a coke."

"Wait for lunch."

"Come on."

He followed me as I ran towards the cart. I looked around and outside I saw her sitting at the metal table with an umbrella, waving at me. I ran out the door. Uncle Jimmy, on the cell phone to my Dad, followed me outside. We walked up. She smiled up at us, looking really pretty in her sunglasses, blouse and skirt. I knew Uncle Jimmy would see what I saw.

"Uncle Jimmy this is Auri." I grabbed one of the metal chairs and sat down.

Uncle Jimmy reached out and shook her hand, turning on the Wilson charm. "We don't mean to bother you; it's just that he wanted me to meet you. That was a wonderful gift you gave him."

"Please sit down, I've been waiting for you."

Uncle Jimmy gave me a look of surprise. I smiled wide, "I asked her to lunch."

"Does your father know?"

I shook my head.

She raised a hand in protest, "Oh, don't worry, it's not a problem. I can eat here. But I am glad I got to meet you, Greg kept talking about his Uncle Jimmy."

"Are you from San Diego?" Uncle Jimmy asked.

"Yes, more or less. I've lived a lot of places, but this is where I grew up."

I looked up and saw my Dad making his way towards the table. He was scowling as usual. He came up to me and looked down, eyes narrowed. I could hear him yelling in his head. The only way he knew how to send me a message was to yell it in his head.

_What are you doing? Why is she here?_

My Dad was loud enough that any intuitive within a hundred miles could have heard him. Auri was blushing so I knew she heard. She shook her head and stood up, winking at me.

Smiling at my Dad, she gave us a little wave, "Good to see you again Doctor, Greg. It was nice meeting you Uncle Jimmy. I think I'll catch that seminar on Trek Uniforms."

I didn't want her to get away. I knew that if I let her go now, my Dad and her would never get a chance to talk to each other. But, she was embarrassed, rushing away as fast as she could. I was so frustrated. This was the first woman I had even remotely felt would understand us. I watched the distance between her and my Dad get further apart and I couldn't take it. I burst out crying. Not just quiet tears, but sobbing. Something I don't remember ever doing before. My Dad and Uncle Jimmy pulled back away from me at first, their mouths open and eyebrows raised. I saw her turn and look at me. She waited for a moment and then rushed back to the table, sat on a chair and then pulled me up into her lap. I hung my arms around her neck and cried into her blouse. She held me close and rocked me back and forth.

_Come on pumpkin, don't cry. What's going on? You can tell me. What's going on?_

_I don't want my Dad to be lonely anymore. He loves me and he cares about me, but I can feel that he's sad. He looks at women and I can tell he'd like to invite them home and sleep with them._

I heard her stifle a laugh and I wondered why._ Honey, your Dad just needs the occasional companionship of a woman, because he has physical needs too._

_No, I know he likes sex. I see it in his mind. This is something else, I see him holding my Mom in his arms and missing that. He misses just holding a woman in his arms, talking, going to movies, walking. I see it; I hear it; I feel it. _

_But honey, he obviously doesn't like me._

_He doesn't like anyone...not at first. _

She started giggling.

My Dad looked down, surprising me by speaking in a soft voice, "Furey, you okay dude?"

I was quiet now, I just nodded. She felt soft and kind. I wanted to just stay there in her arms and let her comfort me, but we didn't have much time. I looked up at my Dad, but I didn't lift my head off her chest. He was worried; I could feel his concern and frustration with me. He knew I had him over a barrel.

He frowned, "Look, uh, would you like to join us for lunch? My son seems to have a crush on you. Although I don't know why, I thought he was gay."

We all laughed.

"How can I resist such a wonderful invitation?" Auri stood up and shook her head, "Dr. House, I've done nothing wrong. For whatever reason, your son wants me to have lunch with you. You obviously don't trust me or want me to eat with you. That's okay. I'm going to go to the restroom. If you're here and want me to go to lunch with you, fine. If you're gone when I come out, that's okay too, you won't hurt my feelings."

We all watched her walk away. I listened and heard Dad think about her butt and legs as she walked away. I thought that was a good sign, because as long as he watched her body, he wasn't thinking or feeling negative thoughts. As soon as she was out of sight he turned back to me.

He growled, "What are you doing? What is this about? Why are you so enamored with this woman?" He was angry and puzzled, his hands shaking at me.

I tried to think... besides the fact that she was an Intuitive, what was it that I liked? I realized I was comfortable with her, felt safe. "Because she reminds me of Mom."

My father snapped his mouth shut, staring at me as if I were an alien. After what felt like forever, he swallowed hard, "What do you know about your mother? She died when you were a baby."

I snapped. I knew my Mom. I still had something inside of me that was her. "I know that she was good. She loved me. She was kind. I know that she loved me even though I'm different."

When I reminded him that I was different, I felt him crumble. My Dad always worried that I would be different like him. But I was different in a different way. I could tell what people were thinking, what they were upset over, what made them afraid. Sometimes it was hard to see, hear or feel. It made you want to run and hide sometimes, get away from their impressions. People can be ugly to themselves, to others. In the last year, I'd tried to learn how to shut them out. Most of the time I can keep their thoughts from entering my head unless I'm tired or sad or sick or drop my guard.

He looked away from me. I could feel that he wanted to both swat me and hug me--I guess that's pretty common in parents. "Okay, we'll take the parasite to lunch. But that's it."

I nodded, I was so excited. I knew we had our chance.

**Dear Readers, I'm hoping that you're enjoying this so far. Please remember that an author's only pay are your reviews! Thanks, Gorby!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Betazed**

**Chapter 4**

**Feelers**

I stood in front of the sink in the women's bathroom under the stark florescent lights and looked in the mirror. The light made me look surprisingly like a green vulcan without the ears. I shook my head. I started out this morning with my schedule in my hand, ready to go to a Star Trek convention and now I was embroiled in a family drama. Greg obviously identified with me, I understood that, but it made me sad to think he wanted me to hook up with his dad and that wasn't going to happen. I could tell Dr. House was doggin' a Urologist attending the medical convention. He had no interest in me except for the fact that his son had become attached to me. It was going to break Greg's heart when he discovered that this was not a match made in heaven. I put on some more mascara and lipstick then slipped out the door. I knew they were waiting for me; I could feel Greg's excitement.

"Hi! Well, where do you want to go eat?" I asked.

Dr. House said solemnly, "There's a little cafeteria upstairs."

"But Dad! You said no Convention hot dogs!" Greg practically screamed it. He wanted us to go out to lunch so that we would have to spend more time together.

I laughed. Greg had grassed out his father. I looked away from the good Doctor, so that he wouldn't see that I knew he was trying to get away from me, but I couldn't help but laugh.

Uncle Jimmy asked, "Uh, Miss..."

"Auri. Auri Ferrell."

"Auri, you're from here. Why don't you suggest a place to eat nearby?"

"Okay, there's a place just up the road, Kansas City Barbeque. It's where they filmed the bar scene in _Top Gun._" I thought little Greg might like that, but in reality it was Dr. House who was more excited about going.

Dr. House nodded, "Yeah, I remember that. That sounds good!" He looked at his son and grinned enthusiastically.

We walked up to the restaurant. It's just what it looks like in the movie, a hole in the wall. But the food is good and the drinks are reasonable. Greg walked by my side all the way down the road telling me all about his collection of action figures. He was surprised when I told him that I had, mint in box, the original star trek figures and the Star Trek Next Generation figures as well as collectible plates.

After sitting down, the waitress passed by without stopping. Dr. House yelled out, "Nurse! We need fluids."

The waitress stopped and grimaced, turned and took our drink order.

"Modelo Negro." He said. "Furey?"

"Milk."

James looked up at the waitress, "Modelo Negro is fine."

Then the entire table looked at me, "Uh, diet coke."

The doctors looked somewhat disappointed in my choice, but I'm a lightweight and didn't really want to be drunk when I went to the next seminar. I looked at the menu and decided on the roast beef plate with baked beans and fries. I glanced over and saw that Greg was busy choosing his meal. I looked at his father. He was also still reading the menu. He had a rough beard and deep creases where he frowned, but there was such a look of intelligence. Dr. House looked up and our eyes met. I smiled briefly and then looked away, embarrassed to be caught watching him. The waitress sat our drinks down.

I patted Greg's hand, "So, Greg. Your Dad calls you Fury...is that for fists of fury?"

He laughed, "No, my last name is Furey."

It felt like a blow to my stomach. I felt the blood drain out of my face as I looked at Dr. House, "I thought your name was House?"

"It is. But his mother's last name was Furey."

I jumped up, bumping the table as I did. My coke went everywhere. The waitress rushed over and sopped it up. I didn't move; I was paralyzed. I could feel little Greg trying to read me, pushing into my mind, combing through my thoughts. I pushed him out of my head and sat down slowly.

I stared at little Greg, my heart racing. My voice was wobbly, "Furey? You're Teagan's son?"

Now it was their turn to be shocked. Their eyes grew wide and Dr. House leaned forward, "You knew Teagan?"

I nodded, "We were close friends at Quantico."

Dr. House looked even more shocked.

Greg was now trying to figure out why all the adults were upset, "Dad, what's Quantico?"

I looked over at the little boy who was looking frantically at his father for answers. I answered, "Quantico is where the FBI trains and does some work."

"My Mom was in the FBI?"

"Yes and no, she helped the FBI solve cases, but she wasn't a real FBI agent."

Dr. House leaned forward and asked almost in a whisper, "_What were you doing at Quantico?_"

"I work for the FBI." I pulled out my i.d. from my purse and flashed it.

Dr. House looked at me with a certain appreciation, but it was little Greg who was the most excited, "I knew you were connected to my mother. Were you good friends?"

I smiled gently at him and looked for a glimpse of Teagan in his face. I found none, but he had her gentleness, her kindness. His big blue eyes searched my face for answers, "We were very good friends. We were both very young when we were at Quantico. Your Mom left after a few years and I didn't get to see her much after that. I didn't even know she had a little boy."

He turned serious, "Did you know that she died?"

I nodded, "Yes, someone at the Bureau eventually told me. I was really sorry that I missed her memorial service. I'm so glad it was in Yosemite; she loved it there."

Furey squirmed in his seat, "What was she like?" I could tell that he was so happy to talk to someone who knew her, that didn't feel such deep sadness every time her name was mentioned, like his father.

"People thought we were sisters because we were about the same height and coloring. But I had more freckles and was a little more irreverent than she was. She was very serious about what she did. We shared an apartment in Virginia and I was a slob, she was very neat. She also made the best pies."

He turned and looked at his father, "Is that true Dad? Did she really make the best pies?"

Dr. House ruffled his son's hair, "She made the very best. They were so good that she sold them at the store by the cabin."

Little Greg was beaming. I could feel him soaking up everything I said like a sponge. He wanted so much to hear about her, but I didn't dare tell them everything, about the tests we were put through, the serial murderer cases that we worked up. I wondered how much Dr. House knew about her link with the FBI.

I looked over at Dr. House, "Were you and Teagan married?"

He looked down at his hands, "Yes, for a few months. She died not long after we were married."

I nodded. I wanted to ask him so much, but not in front of his son. I could tell from the look on his face that he wanted to ask me questions too. Greg asked me more questions about his mother and I answered as best I could. We walked back to the convention and stood in the lobby as Jim and Greg debated as to who was going to stay with Greg and who would get to go to the next medical seminar. Apparently, Dr. House had managed to score coffee with the Urologist, but it was during a seminar on new types of surgeries for cancer patients which Jim had wanted to attend.

I put a hand on little Greg's shoulder, "Gentlemen. I can escort my new best bud, Greg, to the convention and then you both can enjoy your conference. Here's my cell phone number, just give me yours."

They looked at each other. James shrugged and said, "She is an FBI agent. I think he'd be in good hands."

It was decided; when they were through with their appointments, they would call me and we would meet up so that they could pick up Greg.

I escorted Greg to the costume contest and we had a good laugh at the dozens of zealous Trekkies. The costumes ranged from homemade botched jobs to intricate and impressive. Both of us picked up on the emcee's thoughts.

"He really doesn't like what he's doing does he?" Greg asked.

"I guess not."

The emcee frowned, _These fucking Klingons need to bathe and stop eating garlic. Christ, what is it with them? At least the Romulans never stink._

Greg and I started laughing. The Klingon group won, much to the dismay of the emcee. It meant that they had to stay up on the stage longer, their odor wafting up the nostrils of the now nauseated emcee. He started gagging as he handed out the gift certificates. We laughed as the Klingons all gave him bear hugs.

Greg and I went to the previews for the new Trek movie and yelled our heads off when the Star Trek theme song started to play on the screen. The whole place erupted into screams of celebration. There was nothing like a Star Trek Convention to make you feel glad to be alive. Around 6:30 pm we found his Dad and James waiting for us in the lobby under the five story atrium. I took Greg over and dropped him off.

"Dad, we had a blast, you should have been there!" Greg ran over to big Greg and hugged him in his excitement.

Dr. House winced and patted him on the shook his head, "Wookies give me the creeps."

Greg and I looked at each other and giggled.

Dr. House stared at us, "_What?_"

Greg chastised his father, "Wookies are Star Wars, not Star Trek."

He glared back at us, "You don't think I don't know that? But tell those two Wookies behind you."

We turned and sure enough, there were two Wookies walking through the atrium with their Star Trek Convention bags. I turned back and smiled at Dr. House. He surprised me by smiling back.

_She's really pretty when she smiles and she looks so relaxed with Furey. The Urologist was hot, but boring. I wonder if the FBI agent has a gun? Handcuffs? She does remind me a little of Teagan. Maybe that's why I didn't want to be around her._

I was a little surprised by his self-confession. He still didn't know that Teagan and I were in the same Intuitive experiment at the FBI. For some reason, little Greg hadn't told his father about me and, for now, I was grateful.

Uncle Jimmy poked Dr. House in the side, "Come on, ask her."

Dr. House looked annoyed as he shifted his weight, "Yeah, okay. Auri, would you like to join us for dinner?"

I was nonplused. Although he had been prodded into it and he gave the impression as if he was just going through the motions, I could tell that he wanted me to join them. I thought about it, "Uh, I have to get home and walk my dog, feed her too. But I could order a pizza and we could all eat dinner at my house. It's only eight miles from here."

Jimmy looked at Dr. House and Greg. He said, "We didn't rent a car."

"Oh, I think I can give you a ride both ways. Come on, it will be fun."

They all looked at each other and nodded. Little Greg once again accompanied me the whole way to my car, walking by my side. We talked about living in Princeton and his school. He apparently went to a private school and was in the fifth grade despite being so young. I was worried about him. His intelligence was pushing him ahead of his friends so quickly that he was going to leave them behind soon. I was afraid that he might become isolated by the combination of his talents and his intelligence. He was a wonderful kid. I could sense and tell from Jim's intense affection for Greg, that he had a lot to do with raising him. There was so much love from these two men for the little boy, that I had to smile at the mushy core inside both of them.

We piled into my hybrid SUV and drove home. On the way I ordered a pizza from our local pizza parlor and we stopped by to pick it up. I have a three bedroom house located in an area south of San Diego known for being a rural enclave in the middle of urban sprawl. There are horse trails, golf courses and plenty of parks, including one with wetlands, to hike. I love the area because it's so peaceful despite the fact it's surrounded by other surban neighborhoods. My house is a late twentieth century Spanish-style home with a swimming pool in the back. It's a one story, three bedroom, two bath tract home.

We walked in and Greg was immediately cornered by my dog, Wilma, who started licking the poor boy to death. She's an Australian Shepherd and a very sweet dog. They all came in and we went to the dining room. After setting the table and getting drinks we sat down and ate. Greg and I talked a blue streak about the convention, telling Jim and Dr. House about the smelly Klingons. Within minutes, Jim and Dr. House were telling us stories about the clinic and the smelly patients they had encountered. We started laughing until I had pains in my side.

"Dr. House, she didn't really flirt with you?"

"In her syphilitic mind, I was a hunk." he wiggled his eyebrows.

_You are good looking. I can understand the old lady's infatuation._

Greg giggled and kicked me under the table to let me know he had heard me.

_I told you that you'd like my Dad._

_I think George Clooney is good looking too but it doesn't mean I'm going to ride off into the sunset with him. _

Little Greg smiled at me, _But maybe! _

Dr. House caught my attention, "Call me House or Greg."

"Two Gregs? Who knows which one I'm talking to?" I asked.

Little Greg leaned up on the table, "You can call me Furey if you want. I like it better than Greg, sounds meaner." He flexed his muscle to demonstrate his strength.

I chortled, "_Boys!"_

Furey and Uncle Jimmy took Wilma for a walk. Greg and I were left alone.

"How did Teagan die?" I asked.

I could feel him flinch, his emotions running rampant, "I failed to diagnose a tumor before it was too late to remove. She eventually had a stroke. It killed her in the parking lot of the grocery store."

I put the dishes in the dishwasher and turned it on. "You've done a great job with Furey. I don't know when I've met such a smart, kind and understanding kid." I was hoping that by saying that he would open up to me about Furey. But he didn't. I opened the gate and discovered that he was reliving the last few days with Teagan. I had to shut it; I was about ready to cry from his pain, his guilt. He truly thought it was his fault she died, that he hadn't diagnosed her in time. He loved her deeply and from the images I received before shutting down, she loved him equally. I thought about how rude he had been and it begged the question of how she could have fallen in love with him. Teagan wasn't easy to get to know. She was good natured, but her talents had caused her to go inward, not out. If she could love this man, then there had to be something I wasn't seeing just yet.

The boys returned rather quickly. I kind of felt sorry for Wilma, I usually took her out for an hour or so. I showed Furey my Star Trek collection and let him take several books out to the living room to read. We all sat in the living room and talked. Around ten I drove them back to the hotel, "mean-sounding" Furey in the back, asleep with his head in Jim's lap.

I looked in the rear view mirror, "Jim he's very close to you." I mentioned in the hopes he would tell me why.

Jim smiled and looked down at Furey, "He's the son I never had."

House looked over his shoulder at his son, "I screwed up after Teagan died, Wilson and his wife, Jennifer, took Furey in for almost two years until I unscrewed myself."

I sighed, "When I heard about Teag, I was working a really energy sapping case. I tried to find out how to send flowers to the memorial, but I was too late. I didn't even know that she was married. The last time I talked to her she was still living near Yosemite in a small cabin. I spent a few weeks with her in the cabin one summer. We had a blast picking blackberries."

"Did she have a nickname for you? The only person she ever mentioned from the FBI was "Max." Greg asked.

I smiled at the memory of my nickname. "Yeah, my name is Aurigae Beta. She called me Beta Max or Max."

House shook his head, "It's crazy that we met this way." His voice was surprisingly shaky.

Grinning, I looked over at him, "Yeah. But I'm not surprised. Everything about Teagan was special or crazy."

Nodding at me, Greg gave me a smile. I felt a wave of his loneliness hit me. He missed Teagan. Talking about her had stirred up images and feelings that were hard for him to deal with. I could feel him pull away from me as he tried to pull away from his memories. I wanted to reach out and touch him, although I wasn't sure he would appreciate it. But my hand didn't listen to my doubts; I grabbed his long fingers out of his lap and squeezed them. I also risked him discovering my secret by sending a low wave of calm, warm feelings. He looked at my hand holding his and I sensed that he wanted to jerk it away, but he didn't. He just stared straight ahead as I continued to hold it. The only problem with doing this, allowing my own feelings to slip through to him, was that it formed a link. This link would make it easier for us to hear each other. I knew how to block my thoughts, but Greg didn't. On those occasions when I let the gate down, which happened when I purposefully did it or I was exhausted or ill, I would be able to hear him if he was experiencing something traumatic or trying to communicate with me. I already had the bond with his son.

I wondered what Jim was thinking about in the back seat. He could see us holding hands, but he remained quiet. I opened the gate and searched his mind.

_Is she flirting with him or comforting him? I wonder what she would think if she knew that he never allowed us to talk about Teagan. He doesn't talk about her around Furey. He's probably going into withdrawal, he always does around Teagan's birthday or if we come close to talking about her. I wish he'd open up to Auri. It would be ideal...she could lance his wound and then we'd fly home and then maybe he could finally get on with his life._

I have to admit, I didn't relish the thought that I would be just a soft shoulder for Greg to cry on and then send him on his way. But I could tell his life was blocked by his inability to deal with his grief. If I could help Teagan's husband and son in some way, I felt obligated to do so. It was the least I could do for letting my best friend slip out of my life.

Jim got out of the back, waking Furey up to go inside. The little boy managed to give me a sleepy smile and wave goodnight. Greg didn't get out of the car. He sat, very still, staring out the window.

He finally turned to face me. "Auri, did you know about Teagan's abilities?"

I laughed, "Of course I did." I saw that he was extremely serious and my laughter was inappropriate.

"I don't know what to do about Furey. He's intuitive too, just like his mother."

I wanted to say_,_ "He might be even more intuitive," but didn't.

He continued, his eyes sad, _"_I worry about him feeling as isolated as Teagan. When I met her, she had almost become a hermit, living in her little cabin in the mountains. I don't know what to do to make sure it doesn't happen to him. Did she ever say anything to you about growing up, about being raised away from everyone? She told me that her parents eventually moved her to the mountains because being around so many thoughts and feelings was tearing her apart. Did she ever tell you anymore?"

I thought about what he was saying; Teagan was very self-sufficient, but her empathy was off the charts. She was tortured by the pain in others. It was hard for her to exist in the _real_ world around hundreds, thousands, of people in pain. But, I could already tell that Furey had some of his father in him. He had some of that intolerance for weakness that his father has. Furey was empathetic, but with some training, he wouldn't be haunted by it like his mother.

I had learned a long time ago how to control my empathy. I had also learned how to absorb some of the emotions of others and diffuse them so that the effect on me was minimized. It didn't mean I wouldn't feel it, but I could recover faster than Teagan could. She felt it to the core, causing her intense pain when we profiled murders.

"Greg, he's a sweet boy. But he's also very tough. He's got a lot of Teagan in him, but don't kid yourself, there's a lot of you too. He just needs someone to guide him, let him know that the feelings he picks up aren't his, those feelings belong to someone else."

He sighed and then shook his head, "Seeing him with you and with Wilson's wife always makes me sad that he doesn't have a mother. I just haven't been able to get out and date, let alone really get serious about someone. I always feel as if I'm cheating on Teagan."

My heart felt tight and ached, He really did feel guilty. I reached over and gave this stranger a kiss on his cheek. "You don't like to acknowledge it, but inside of you is a very decent man kicking and screaming to be let out. You're a cruel jailer, keeping him locked up inside so long."

He rolled his eyes, "Now that sounds like something Teagan would have said. Christ are all women marshmallows?" He turned and gave me a very warm smile which made me go all mushy. "Well, I'm going to go in and get some sleep. I go to the Trek convention in the morning and Wilson said he'd relieve me in the afternoon. Want to have breakfast with us?"

I nodded, "Okay."

I really wanted to spend as much time as I could with Furey. I was rather fond of him already. I was starting to warm up to his father too. I had immediately taken a liking to Jim, he had a kind soul. I also felt a soft spot for him because of what he did for Furey after Teagan died. His dedication to Greg and Furey was easy to appreciate.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**These Few Precious Moments**

'Wakey, wakey, rise and shine,

You've had yours, I've had mine.

Get up and pee,

The world's on fire and we need the water!"

I opened my eye, surprised to see Dad shaved and ready to go, standing above me. He rarely got up before me, so I wasn't sure if I was awake. Still, he always said that stupid rhyme when he woke me up, so I figured it was him in the flesh. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Dad? It's 7:30 am? What's up?"

"Your girlfriend is going to meet us for breakfast. I called her and she said she'll be down in a few minutes so you better get your butt in that shower dude, you look punk."

I was still groggy which means my gate is usually down a little. I could feel that he was in a good mood and that worried me. My Dad was in his best mood when he had pulled one over on someone or was about to play a prank on me or Uncle Jimmy. Still, he was smiling and that made me happy. I got up and took my shower and put on my jeans and new Trek t-shirt.

We went downstairs to the lobby and my Dad broke out in a big smile when he saw Auri standing by the entrance to the resort's café. We had come in through the courtyard since our room was on the other side of the resort, but she was turned, facing the elevators, apparently thinking that we would probably come from one of the hotel floors above the café. I was blown away when my father walked up behind her and tickled her on the sides. Uncle Jimmy and I looked at each other, our mouths and eyes wide open in shock. She jumped and giggled at the same time. Apparently, she had her gate up because there was no doubt in my mind that Dad had surprised her. I wasn't used to my Dad being playful with a woman, so I just stood there staring.

He turned and looked at us, tilted his head and asked, "Are you two going to just stand there gawking or are we going to get something to eat?

I ran up to him and looked up.

He frowned, "Furey, close your mouth, the flies are going to get in."

He was right, my mouth was wide open! I couldn't believe that my Dad was happy and playful. I grinned as he punched me playfully in the stomach. He winked at me then put his hand on my shoulder to guide me inside the café. I crawled into the booth next to Uncle Jimmy so that Dad would have to sit next to Auri. She narrowed her eyes and smiled knowingly at me.

My Dad sat real close to her, closer than he had to. I saw her flinch when he scooted over so that their bodies touched. Her face turned red and she looked down at her hands. Dad's hands were somewhere under the table so I wondered if he had tickled her. I tried to open the gate and search Auri's mind.

_Out! Get out!!! Nothing to see here...move along Furey._

_Oh come on, did he tickle you? _I asked.

_Yeah, something like that._

_I told you you'd like him. He really knows how to tickle, watch it._

_He sure does._

"So dude, what's on the agenda?" Dad asked.

I looked up at my Dad who was giving me a silly stare. "I want to go to the screening of the new sci-fi series, _Centauri_, at nine then the auction at eleven. We can find something at ten to fill in the gap."

Auri looked at House, "Why don't you stay at your convention, I can escort the munchkin around."

My Dad looked upset, like we had just taken away a toy. "No...I uh...I wanted to see _Centauri_. There's nothing exciting this morning at the medical convention anyway...nothing exciting today. It's mostly stuff I know already."

Uncle Jimmy rolled his eyes, "I'll take notes. Apparently, you're up for a little hookie."

I heard my Dad think, _Nookie, hookie, what's the difference?_

"Dad, what's nookie?"

He gave me a stern look to shut up, but Auri had already laughed, tea coming through her nose. She must have heard his thoughts too, they were pretty loud. She grabbed a napkin and held it up to her nose, wiping it. "Yes, Greg, what's nookie?"

He pretended not to hear her ask. He looked at me, "So, we have forty minutes to get breakfast and get going. Where's that waitress?"

I had chocolate chip pancakes, my favorite. Dad usually picks food off of my plate, but he started grabbing it off of Auri's. She started chasing his hand all over the plate with her fork. They started laughing. It was so weird. I looked up at Uncle Jimmy who just shrugged and smiled. We're close enough that sometimes he can send me messages.

_He was like this sometimes with your mother. Playful and funny. He's in a good mood. Don't worry, it's not fatal._

I nodded and watched, happy to see Dad chuckling as she tried to tickle him to give her back the grape in his mouth, although I don't really think she wanted it. Uncle Jimmy went back to eating his breakfast and motioned for me to do the same.

After breakfast we made our way over to the conference center and filed into the hall where they were showing _Centauri_. Auri sat between us. The last thing I saw before they turned out the lights was my Dad's arm going around the back of her chair.

**Dear Readers...short chapter today! Sorry, but hope you enjoyed it. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Let the Games Begin**

What a difference a good night's sleep makes! At first, that was all I could think of to explain Greg's ebullient mood. It was when I sat in the darkened room watching _Centauri_ that I realized that I had probably absorbed some of the pain he had been carrying when I held his hand last night. When he put his arm around me in the screening, I felt his hand on my shoulder and it clicked that by trying to send him low-grade feelings of warmth and calm, I may have absorbed some of his pain. Sometimes when I send, I absorb too.

I have to admit, it was fun joking with him. He was like a teenager, flipping my hair, eating my food, trying to tickle me and putting his hand on my bare knee under the table. I felt like I was back in junior high with Mike Thompson, flirting and giggling.

That morning I had trouble deciding what I should wear. I eventually tugged on my tattered denim skirt and white peasant blouse. I realized when I was in the restroom at the café that I looked like an old hippie. But I still looked good in it; my somewhat round abdomen was covered by the straight front skirt, so I felt that I was more than presentable. I'm average weight, but I inherited my mother's pooch. I've never had a flat abdomen and I sport a rather boring butt. It's firm provided I keep exercising, but frankly, I hate exercising and if someone would invent a 'firm butt' pill, I'd take it.

I don't do well in relationships. Usually when the guy finds out that if I want, I can read what they're feeling and usually hear what they're thinking, he's out the door. Men don't like that much "truth" in a relationship. I've only had one relationship last more than a year and that was because Porter had enough self-esteem that he wasn't afraid of the unvarnished truth. A relationship with me requires someone who values the truth and isn't afraid to express it when the truth isn't pretty.

I didn't know Greg well enough to know whether he could handle a relationship with that much truth. Since he would be out of my life in a few days, I didn't see the need to tell him I was intuitive. If Furey hadn't said anything, then he must not want his dad to know either. However, the fact that Greg had managed to fall in love and marry an intuitive made me think that maybe he could handle it.

Greg kept whispering comments in my ear that made me burst out laughing. The _Centauri_ series was about an ambassador assigned to the planet _Centauri_ and a race of aliens called, surprisingly, _Centaurians._ The Centaurians looked kind of like horned toads.

"Do you think a Centaurian penis is knobby too? With a tongue like that, he'll pull all the girls on Earth. You see that thing on his back? I had an infection like that. I started using condoms after the infection went away."

Each remark was punctuated by my elbow in his side. But I knew I was only encouraging him with my laughter. After the show, we took Furey to the writer's seminar and were a little surprised to find him deeply absorbed in their thought process. He turned and looked at me, _I think I'd like to be a writer._

_That's great. I think you would make a very creative writer._

At eleven we went to the auction, taking our seats up front (or at least, I took mine and they sat next to me.) There was a staff jacket on sale from the upcoming movie that I wanted, but the bidding went over $200 and it wasn't that important to me, so I dropped out of the auction.

When they held up a mint-in-box Gorn, Furey started wiggling in his seat. "Oh, oh, oh Dad! A Gorn, a Gorn!"

He shook his head, "Don't look at me." Furey's face fell. He looked at me, his lip extended. His father relented, "Your Grandmother sent me some money to spend on you for your birthday. You can go up to $40."

I was happy when he won the auction for $34. He took the money and ran to the front to claim his prize. Greg snickered and shook his head, "He really is spoiled."

"Yeah, but in a good way. He's a good kid. When do you go home?"

"Wilson goes home tomorrow afternoon, but we're staying a few days to see my Mom. She lives here."

"Really! That's great, I bet Furey is excited to see his Grandmother."

Greg nodded, "He and his grandmother have a thing goin'on. I was a rather difficult kid to raise, but Furey has more of his mother in him. My Mom thinks he's a more angelic version of me."

Furey came bouncing back to the seat, his blue eyes bright and excited, his smile wide and cheerful. I admired his action figure with lots of oohs and ahhs. His father simply rolled his eyes.

I wondered if I'd get to see them after the Convention. I wasn't working a case, just finishing up the paperwork from the last one and I could easily take off early in the afternoons. But I didn't want to invite myself, so I took a wait and see attitude.

We met Wilson for lunch, grabbing sandwiches from a nearby Subway and going down to the harbor to sit. Furey ran around skipping rocks and chasing the seagulls. Wilson rolled up his trash, grabbed mine and headed for the trash can. When he got back, he looked at the two of us.

"I'll take him for the rest of the day, you two enjoy yourselves. Just make sure you're back by 6:00 pm so I can go to the dinner tonight. They've hired Dennis Miller to be the guest speaker and I want to see him. "

We looked at each other and House said timidly to me, "Uh, was there something at the Trek convention you wanted to see?"

I shook my head, "Not necessarily. I want to make sure I'm back for the big Trek party tonight, lots of raffles and fun."

"What would you like to do?"

I looked around, "This is Seaport Village. It has lots of boutiques, galleries, restaurants, I could show you around it."

Greg chuckled, "I know all about Seaport Village; I used to live here. My Mom still drags us down here on occasion for dinner when we come out."

"Oh! Sorry, I just ...you lived here? Wow, I lived in San Diego until I left for college. Where did you go to school?" I asked as I stood up to join him. We walked towards the book store as Furey waved goodbye to us from down the path. He and Wilson started skipping stones again.

Greg put his sunglasses back on, "Mt. Carmel. You?"

"Morse."

His eyes flew open and he took in a sharp breath, "Morse High School?"

I got that reaction a lot. Morse was one of the toughest schools in the city. "It had calmed down a little by the time I got there. No more race riots. In fact, it was a magnet school for computers when I was a student there."

He looked amused, "Still, I can see you carrying a knife and acting all tough."

"Yeah, right...that's me. Believe me, when I got into the FBI, learning to shoot, knowing I might have to hurt someone someday, was not easy for me."

He stopped and twirled his cane, "We seem to be wandering aimlessly, what would you like to do?"

I opened my gate to see if he was secretly thinking what most men think when they ask that question. I wasn't surprised to have visions of us screwing pop up in my mind. I didn't want to appear easy despite the fact that, in my mind, I was right under him matching each of his moves.

"Let's go back to the hotel and sit by the pool, have a drink."

He looked around as if he was expecting a thunderstorm to hit, or maybe he was hoping a thunderstorm would hit. It was sunny and about 65F outside. Not exactly tanning weather, but pleasant enough to sit outside by the pool. The Marriott resort where they were staying, was next door to Seaport Village. On the east side of the hotel was the convention center. We walked back to the hotel and I grabbed a seat on the little two person outdoor sofa. I thought he might take the chair next to me, but he opted to sit close to me on the sofa.

"How long have you been in the FBI?" He asked.

"Sixteen years."

"What's your position?"

"Special Agent—out in the field."

He smiled wickedly, his blue eyes crinkling, "Oh, I'm sure you are very special." He started moving slowly towards me, both of us a little unsure of the other. I knew this was the make or break point. Either I tilted my head and presented my lips or I pulled back. I paused. I had just tilted my head when a young female voice pierced my indecision.

"Can I get you something from the bar?" the waitress asked.

Greg and I both sat up straight. He turned and practically snapped at her, "Talisker, neat."

I tried to smile, "Margarita, please."

She nodded and took off towards the bar. I looked out over the pool and palms. For some reason I quickly calculated the number of queen and canary palms.

He could see me looking around the pool, "What's so fascinating?"

I felt like I had been caught idling away, "I was just counting the number of canary palms. They have ten. Did you know that a full grown canary palm goes for $6,000? You've got $60,000 in trees right here."

He rolled his eyes, turned to me and glared, "Look, do you want to go up to my room and look at my artwork?" He gave me a stage wink.

I blinked. "Isn't this a little fast?"

"I was hoping you were the fast one."

I started smiling; the ball was smack dab in my court. "Greg, I ..." I couldn't finish the sentence.

He gave me a smug look, "Look, we have the whole afternoon. I know San Diego, I've lived in San Diego, there's nothing you can show me I haven't seen or want to see in San Diego except what's under that blouse. I wouldn't mind exploring that. Now, we could stare at the chlorinated pond in front of us or we could go upstairs and contemplate the paint strokes on my Hallmark copy of Renoir above my bed."

I almost burst out laughing, instead I looked at him without expression, "I love Renoir."

He exhaled sharply and smiled broadly, "Okay. Renoir it is."

We got up and walked by the waitress, asking her to send the drinks up to the room. She smiled a little too knowingly. We kept walking to the elevator and when the door closed, Greg put a tentative hand around my waist. I reciprocated by slipping my arm around him.

He started chuckling.

"What?" I asked, smiling with him.

"I was just hoping the painting above my bed is a Renoir."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**An Appreciation of Art**

We both laughed and then he bent down. It's amazing what goes through your mind when you're about to kiss someone for the first time. _I hope my breath is fresh enough, I hope his breath is fresh enough, I hope I'm not sweating, I hope I smell okay, I wonder if he's going to slip me his tongue, wow what blue eyes, I hope I don't disappoint him._ I didn't dare open the gate to hear the cacophony of his thoughts. I was already tensing up.

His lips connected and I could feel the stubble of his beard, the softness of his lips, the taste of mustard from his sandwich when his tongue slipped through my lips. I wanted to open the gate, find out what I tasted like, but I was afraid I'd be embarrassed. The kiss didn't last too long because the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

We walked down the hall, me straggling behind, holding his hand like a little girl. I thought he was walking pretty fast for someone with a cane. We reached his room and he slipped the card through the reader. It was red! He did it again, Red again! He looked up and shook his head. We went down one more door.

"That was Wilson's room. I don't know what I was thinking."

_I can tell what you're thinking and we better both slow down or this is going to be quick. _

We walked inside and I went straight to the window. The harbor view of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge was lovely. The Yachts and sailboats docked below us gave the whole scene the feeling of something out of a James Bond movie. I turned and he was sitting up on the bed, his back to the headboard, shoes resting on the deep blue duvet.

I walked over as he scooted over to the middle of the bed. Kicking off my shoes, I swung my feet up and sat next to him. He pointed up, over the bed. Looking up, I saw that there was nothing hanging above it, no Renoir.

He furred his brow, "It's minimalistic, don't you think?"

I nodded and we both laughed. He didn't move. For all his bravado, he seemed very shy about getting this going. I cheated again and read his mind. I almost broke out laughing. Greg was imagining starting at my knee, then he decided to start at my blouse and then he gave up, imagining me being the one to jump him.

I got up on my knees and turned to face him. "Can I show you something?"

"If it has anything to do with the view of the harbor, forget it, Furey has described every vessel, landmark and edifice in a hundred miles."

I simply started to undo my peasant blouse. I pulled it off, letting him have a good look at what was ahead. I had on my white lace demi-bra with black velvet trim. My breasts bubbled up, almost spilling over. I was hit with a blast of sexual energy from him. I knew without even touching him that he was already hard.

"Well, I guess there are some landmarks he hasn't described. I'd like to have a look at those peaks if that's okay with you?"

I reached behind and undid my bra, pulling my straps down the length of my arms.

He took a deep breath as he opened his mouth seductively. He reached out and cupped my breast, leaning forward to kiss the top of it. He wanted to suck them, but he pulled his mouth up to mine instead. As his wet tongue explored my mouth, I felt his hand brush my nipples. I reached out and together we took off his shirt and t-shirt. I stood up and took off my skirt while he took off his shoes and trousers. After climbing back in bed, he pulled my panties down and then kissed my mound, nuzzling the hair and kissing the folds between my legs.

I stroked his hair as he played between my legs, kissing and blowing. He looked up and said very softly, "I need to grab a condom, I'll be right back."

I nodded. He jumped up and I smiled when I saw his hard on sticking out of his boxers. He went to the bathroom and brought back a condom, holding it up as if it were a prized catch. He dropped his boxers and I smiled appreciatively at how hard he was. He grinned and put his hands on his hips to display his erection in profile. I giggled as he flexed his muscles and pretended to be Mr. Universe with a hard on.

I had turned on my stomach, kicking my legs playfully in the air. Greg reached over and stroked my ass with his long slender fingers. I immediately received an image of him mounting me from behind. I wanted to see his eyes when we screwed the first time, so I quickly turned over and rose up on my elbows seductively. His mental image quickly changed to missionary style.

Greg kissed my thigh, his beard scratchy and his lips soft on skin. I was breathing in short gasps as he continued kissing up my stomach, my breast bone, and finally my lips. Climbing on top of me, he took both my wrists in his left hand and pinned my arms down. He looked deep into my eyes, giving me a deep kiss with his wet and warm tongue. His hand felt up my thigh and found the folds between my legs. He slipped his index finger between the folds to find my clitoris.

"You're really wet."

"It's been awhile."

Greg nodded, "I know what you mean." We kissed again, his mouth open, tongue wrapping around mine. He pulled back a little, "Damn, you're so wet; it's so hot."

My voice was husky from the excitement, "What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to slip inside of you and screw you until you beg me to stop."

My breath caught, I had just gone over the edge, I wanted him badly. He pushed my legs open with his knee. I took the condom and dressed him. He felt between my legs and then guided himself to the entrance, pausing, rubbing me with the tip of his erection. I was so close to coming I was holding my breath. He pushed a few inches inside and stopped while he sucked my nipples hard, occasionally flicking his tongue against them. His hand was cupped around my breast, stroking it slowly as he sucked.

I wanted to feel him completely inside, filling me. I pushed my hips up, engulfing him. I heard his gasp and then he held his breath. He started slipping out and then in, over and over, slowly at first. His eyes were looking first at where we were joined and then into my eyes. I felt so connected to him. He looked back down as he continued to thrust. I lifted up and we kissed.

Greg reached under my knee, pulling it up. His thrusts became deeper, faster. I could smell his musk and our sweat mingling. Between the sounds of our breath, the soft moans, the feel of him inside of me, I was feeling my thighs tighten. My muscles clamped down around him. I felt him shudder, the thrusts shortened, accompanied by several low grunts. I knew he was coming; the last thrust was hard and deep. He collapsed on me, releasing his breath, completely spent. He was still slightly erect and still inside of me. He reached between my legs and rubbed me. It took very little touching to make me come. My muscles contracted from my womb down to my vagina, clamping around Greg.

He lifted up and looked down at me, watching; but I couldn't say anything. My face, my vagina, my toes, were all contracting from the pleasure pulsating through my body. I cried out. He had harden a little and used his renewed excitement to thrust inside me, increasing the intensity of the orgasm. I pushed my head back into the pillow and closed my eyes as my entire body shook. When the waves subsided, I opened my eyes and smiled up at him. Greg kissed me on my lips as he pulled slowly out of me.

I couldn't say anything. I turned on my side and faced him, letting him slip his arm under me so that I could rest my head on his chest. He kissed the top of my head.

"Your hair smells like coconut."

I looked up at him, "It's my shampoo. Do you like coconut?"

He nodded and kissed the top of my head again. I felt a gentleness; a sweet feeling of genuine fondness as I reached my arm across his chest and hugged him. He closed his eyes. A few minutes later he opened them, kissed me on my forehead and started to pull his arm out from under me, "Let me get rid of this." He nodded towards the used condom. I lay back down as he got up and went to the restroom. I heard a tinkling, the flush of the toilet and then the sound of water in the sink. I looked up as he limped quickly back to bed. I could sense that he wanted the same thing that I did, to just hold each other and snuggle. He turned on his side to face me, gave me a peck on the lips and reached over me to pull me closer. We both fell asleep for half an hour. When we woke up we agreed on a shower. After I managed to get the water temperature just right, he slipped in behind me, the water spilling down over us.

I could see that he was thinking about shower sex. I turned around to him. His eyes immediately dropped down to my breasts as both his hands reached up, "These are absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you."

He wiggled his eyebrows and I could hear him wondering how to suggest that I bend over for sex. I giggled and saw the puzzled look on his face. He didn't know why I was giggling.

I touched his cheek, "I was thinking that we might try it from behind."

He grinned, turned me and then pushed me over at the waist. His leg pushed my legs apart and I braced myself against the tile. Wrapping himself around me, he penetrated me over and over, harder and harder. He was passionate and forceful, rubbing me and pinning me so that I couldn't move. I heard him cry out and I started coming too. We were moaning together. Leaning over on my back after it was over, he was trying to get his breath, but started laughing. I joined him and marveled at the fact that I had screwed a man twice in one hour, something I hadn't done for a long time.

When it was over, we climbed out of the shower and dried off. As I dressed, he swatted me on the butt with a towel.

"Ow!"

He grabbed me and whipped me into his arms, "You know, I'll be here for a few more days. Why don't you come up tomorrow night for dinner with my Mom?"

"Don't you think your mother should be the one to extend the invitation?"

"She'll just be happy that I haven't gone gay."

"Thank you, but I wouldn't feel comfortable unless your mother extended the invitation."

Greg picked up his cell phone.

I tried to swat him, "Greg! Don't put her on the spot!"

He held the phone away from me as I danced around him, trying to swat it out of his hand.

"Mom?" He swatted my hand back. "I'd like to bring someone home for dinner tomorrow night." He paused, "Yes, a woman." He crossed his eyes at me and grinned, "Auri...I met her yesterday...Yeah, it's quick, but she insisted on meeting you, what can I say?"

"Don't say that!" I yelled, knowing she would hear me.

"That? That was the television." He walked to the window. "Okay, that was her. She and Furey have become good friends." He paused again. "Uh, where is she from? Vulcan. I think she's Vulcan. She looks a little green." Greg smiled, "Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow Mom...yeah, I love you too." He hung up the phone. "Six o'clock. We're having dinner tomorrow at six and you're the guest of honor."

I could feel his mother's confusion and annoyance at her son. But she was also curious and somewhat excited. She really wanted him to be happy, her grandson too. She wanted to know if I could fill Teagan's shoes. I doubted it.

We made the bed and then lay down and watched television until it was time to go get Furey. Walking over to the convention center, we sometimes stopped to kiss like teenagers. Furey smiled when he saw his Dad and me holding hands. We all went to the Trek Ten Forward party and then they walked me to my car. I gave both Greg and Furey a kiss goodnight.

_My dad likes you a lot. He's happy._

_Well he might like me, but he really loves you._

Furey grinned. _I know. _ He waved good night to me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**A Mother's Love**

We had so much fun in San Diego. When the convention was over the next day, Grandmom picked us up and drove us home to her house. At six, Auri arrived and I ran to the door to answer it. I hugged her as Dad came up behind me. He opened the door wide and pulled her through, hugging her too. Grandmom came out from the kitchen and saw both of us hugging her and I could feel that she was both curious and a little jealous. So I ran over and put my arms around her waist. I felt her relax.

It was my birthday so Grandmom had made my favorite meal, spaghetti and meatballs. She had also baked a chocolate cake for me because it's my favorite. We spent the rest of the evening playing cards together. Dad cheats when he starts to lose. But since both Auri and I knew when he was cheating, we were able to circumvent what he was doing. We pissed him off. I won one game, Grandmom the next one.

Auri picked us up the next night and we went out to the movies, then for some ice cream. Auri dropped me off and afterwards she and Dad went out. I don't think he came home, but Auri wouldn't let me read him. She kept running interference, something I didn't even know could be done. I knew I wouldn't be able to read her, but when I tried to read Dad, I heard her voice warning me to back away. The only thing I got from Dad was a view of a woman's butt and then it went blank as Auri sent me views of math equations and a stern warning to leave my Dad's mind alone. I backed out and went to sleep.

We had to leave the next day at four. Auri had to work, but she promised she'd get down to the airport to see us off. It was almost time to get on board so we couldn't wait any longer; we had to go through security. I kept looking around for her, so did Dad. But we didn't see her. Dad limped through the metal detector and I followed. I was so sad and disappointed that she didn't make it.

I was putting on my shoes when I heard her voice, "FBI." I looked up as I saw her flash her i.d. at the security guards. I looked at her and she smiled, "Excuse me, Dr. House, Mr. Furey, could you please follow me?"

She put an arm around me and we went to the escalator.

"I didn't think you'd show!" I was so excited that she had come.

She kissed the top of my head, "Do you think I'd let you fly home without saying goodbye?"

We walked to the gate and I could feel my Dad pulling away emotionally. He seemed so distant, so sad. I began to feel sad too, for me, for him. I didn't understand why he was doing this. He had wanted to see Auri before we left, but now that he had; he was angry, moody again. He wanted to get on the plane and leave. He was hurting.

Auri kept talking to pass the time. Less than five minutes later, they called for us to board. My Dad wouldn't look at Auri even though she tried to catch his eye. I hugged her. She hugged me really tight. _If you ever need me, just open the gate and I'll hear you. You're a great kid. I really care about you. Okay? You just open the gate and call for me._

_Thanks. Auri, come see us, please._

_If I get back to the east coast, I'll stop in. When you come out to see your Grandmom, just give me a shout and I'll drop by._

I stepped back and then turned to my Dad; he put an hand on my shoulder to lead me down the aisle towards the plane. As we turned I heard Auri say sadly, "Goodbye Greg, I had a great time."

I could feel the pain shoot out from Dad and the anger. He wanted to leave, not think about what we were leaving. But he turned and looked at her, nodded and then we left.

"Dad, I know you wanted to say goodbye. Why didn't you say goodbye?"

"I did, I said goodbye last night."

I could tell from the way Auri felt that she had wanted him to say something there, at the airport, and he didn't. I could feel her sadness, because my Dad didn't say goodbye. She wanted him to say that maybe they might see each other again. But Dad didn't want to see her again. It didn't make sense to me. He had been so happy until this morning.

On the plane, he refused to even think about her, instead going over the case his team had called him about early that morning. I was confused. I really thought that my Dad had liked Auri, that they were getting along. I had hoped he'd find a way to bring her home with us. Or at least we'd make plans to meet again. But he didn't. He didn't feel happy anymore. He felt like the same old Dad that I was used to. I felt sad for my Dad. Sometimes I think he doesn't feel like he deserves to be happy.

We went home and nothing seemed to have changed for him. But for me, lots had changed. Whenever I needed Auri, I opened the gate and she was there to talk to. It was a good thing, because less than six months later I would have been dead without her.

**Short one today! But, I hope you aer enjoying it...Please leave a review, I look forward to hearing from you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**The Routine**

**(Six Months Later)**

"I won't be home until late; I have to see the tax lawyer about the audit." Dad looked through a pile of documents and then gave me one of his funny faces, "You're going to have to multiply into more kids…I need more tax deductions." He ruffled my hair, "You'll have to go to Wilson's after school. I'll pick you up when I'm done." Dad put the empty orange juice glass down and looked at me with one of his looks.

I was tired, not quite awake. My face reflected back in the pitcher and I could see my hair sticking up in several directions along with a self-inflicted scratch on my face which hadn't been there last night when I went to bed.

"You've got to clip those nails or I'm going to wake up one morning to find you've bled out from one of your nocturnal scratches. How's the toe nails?" He asked.

I was still groggy so I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Get your butt over here." Dad pulled out the other stool for me to sit on. I dragged my body over to the stool and got up on it. He picked up my bare feet and frowned. "Dude, you have to keep them clipped or you're going to get an ingrown toenail. You know your Mom died of an ingrown toenail."

I knew this wasn't true. Uncle Jim had explained in painful detail how my Mom had died of a tumor that caused her to "stroke out." But Dad always told me something killed my mother when he wanted me to do something. I guess he thought I'd listen better. When I wouldn't take my yucky vitamins, she supposedly died of a vitamin deficiency, an agonizing death consisting of turning into an albino first (at least that's what Dad said.)

"Dad, I have to come up with a science project."

"Have you thought of a small nuclear bomb? It serves two purposes, you're bound to get an A and you won't have to go back to school and pick it up, just …" He pretended to hit a remote control, his eyes looking wild like a mad scientist.

"Nah, I think the paper said no nuclear devices unless we had the President's permission."

"I'll call the White House. If you need help, ask your other Dad, he likes to do those kind of things."

"But Uncle Jimmy told me the next project was your responsibility."

My Dad put his face near mine, "No, it's _yours_."

"_But Daaaaaaddd."_

"Uncle Jimmy will take pity on your sorry butt and help you. Just use your blue eyes and act helpless."

I was tempted to open the gate and see if he was really going to help or not, but he was getting pretty mad at me for using my talents so much lately. I decided I better not chance it. He was getting better at feeling my presence when I did open the gate.

I was popular at school mainly because I would listen to their thoughts and tell the kids what they wanted to hear. My Dad and Uncle Jimmy had numerous "discussions" about me using my talent on fifth graders. My Dad argued in my favor, telling Uncle Jimmy that every kid needs all the help that they can get and that some were more gifted at reading other people's emotions. It just so happened that I was the king of reading others. Uncle Jimmy said I would never know how to deal with people properly if I didn't do it on a level playing field. The truth was that I was often overwhelmed by the feelings and paralyzed by their ferocity. It wasn't always a blessing that I knew what was going on inside someone.

I had just started fifth grade two weeks before, having skipped fourth, and was getting to know my classmates and teacher. My teacher was new and somewhat frightened of us. She had just graduated from college and was so afraid that she was going to fail that I wanted to go up and give her a hug sometimes. Toby Johnson was a new friend and often came to school after his Dad had beaten him and he'd be in such physical and mental pain that I could feel it without even opening the gate.

I went to school that morning and was playing on the jungle gym when Toby showed up. I went dizzy for a minute. There was a horrible pain under my arm, I had trouble breathing. I knew it was Toby sending these waves of pain to me. I got off the jungle gym and went over to him. He was looking down at his shoes.

"Toby, you need to tell the teacher you're hurt."

He shook his head, "I'm not hurt" _Papa said if I told anyone, he'd make it worse._

"I don't care what your Dad told you, you need to see a doctor."

Toby's mouth and eyes were wide open; stunned that I had obviously read his thoughts. I didn't confirm or deny. I just continued to beg him to tell her. He said no and I knew that she wouldn't believe me if Toby denied it.

That evening I went to Uncle Jimmy's after school. I walked in and gave Aunt Jennifer a kiss and rubbed her tummy. She always let me touch it, now that the baby was so big. I was worried that they were going to want my room for the baby, but it was Aunt Jenny who sat me down and told me that I would always have a room in their house and that, for now, the baby was going to sleep in the room next to theirs. I was excited, it was the closest that I was going to come to being a big brother.

When Uncle Jimmy got home I got a big smile, ruffle to the hair and an order to take the trash out. I took it out and when I got back inside, Uncle Jimmy was sitting in the family room

"What's going on with you these days?" Uncle Jimmy asked.

I didn't want to look in his eyes when I told him that Dad was expecting him to help me with the science project. I knew he'd get pissed at Dad and spend several minutes trying to get control of his anger so I wouldn't know how aggravated he was with Dad. I guess he sensed this because he snorted and laughed.

"I already know that your Dad isn't going to help with the science project. He told me today. So was that all that was bothering you?"

I sat on the arm of the couch, "Uncle Jimmy, what happens when a Dad hits their son and hurts them really bad."

Uncle Jimmy sat up and looked at Aunt Jen. They were both puzzled and worried. The look on Aunt Jen's face made me realized that she thought my Dad may have done something to me. Uncle Jimmy was just worried.

I looked over at Aunt Jen, "_Not my Dad!"_

There was obvious relief. Uncle Jimmy smiled, "I know that your Dad would never raise a hand against you. There's one thing I do know about your father, he loves you more than anything in this world."

I wanted an answer to my question, not another lecture on how much everyone loved me, "Yeah, I know."

"Who is this that you're talking about?"

"No one, I saw it on a movie."

I could see that Uncle Jimmy wasn't convinced, but he didn't say so. "The Dad will be put in jail or sent away for counseling."

"What about the kid?"

"It depends. If the mother didn't know about it or was being abused herself, then he may be able to live with her. If they find that the mother helped the father in some way, then the child would go to a foster home. Furey, who are we talking about?"

"Uncle Jimmy, I can't say yet. I'm not even sure there's a problem. I promise to tell you if there is."

"Okay. Now what should we do for a science project?"

I laughed, "Dad suggested a nuclear bomb, but he was going to check with the President first."

Uncle Jimmy raised an eyebrow, "I was thinking of starting somewhat smaller. What about a biology project? How about, 'Does the presence of detergent in water affect plant growth?'"

"Well, it's green and my teacher would like that…she always wants us to recycle. Okay."

"Okay, you need to start listing on paper what we need."

I nodded and pulled my homework out of my backpack and sat down on the floor, using the coffee table to write on. Uncle Jimmy looked over my shoulder at what I was doing. I turned and looked up at him.

"Uncle Jimmy, what's a tax audit?"

He chuckled, shaking his head, "It means that the IRS doesn't believe that your Dad filled out the tax forms truthfully. They want him to prove that he figured it out right."

"Well, he was really annoyed this morning and a little worried."

"He should be, he's claiming gambling bets as educational expenses. He claims it's important to understand the statistics of betting for understanding the chance of a diagnosis being one disease over another. I don't know if the IRS is going to agree with that approach."

I was scared, "Will he go to jail?"

Uncle Jimmy reached out and ruffled my hair again, something he loved to do, "No. He won't go to jail unless he does something stupid."

"My Dad's smart."

"Most of the time."

I had to agree with Uncle Jimmy, he was smart most of the time. I thought he was pretty stupid to let Auri go. My Dad hadn't called her or anything. I knew because she and I frequently opened the gate to talk to each other. She rarely asked about my Dad, but from the questions she did ask, I knew that my Dad hadn't had any contact. My Dad went back to having women over for a night. The same women he'd never let me meet. I missed Auri and wished she would come and see us, but she was really busy with a case, a serial killer, so sometimes when I tried to open the gate, she wouldn't respond.

That night I stayed with Uncle Jimmy. Dad came by to pick me up, but got a call as he was talking to Uncle Jimmy about the unconstitutionality of paying income tax. Aunt Cuddy called him to come into the hospital for a patient

I took Moron for a walk the next day and waited for Dad to pick me up, but he called and said he was going to have trouble getting there, his patient was still ill and he needed more time to diagnose him. My homework was done so I went to play for awhile with Danny next door until he and his family left for his grandparents. I went home to Uncle Jimmy's and crawled on my bed to play Xbox when Aunt Jennifer came in looking somewhat unhappy.

"Greg, I asked you to put your clothes away before you went out to play."

Looking in the corner, a huge pile of my clothes, folded neatly, were stacked for me to put away. "Sorry Aunt Jen, I'll do it now."

"If you're going to stay here with us, you've got to mind me."

Aunt Jen had never threatened me with staying at the house before. I always felt like it was my house too. But, with the baby coming, maybe Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Jen thought less of me and more about their own flesh and blood. Aunt Jen left and went to the linen closet to put something away. I opened the gate and listened to her thoughts.

_…not fair. I have to take care of a baby and House's kid. Come on, he's a good kid… but he still needs looking after. And it means House is here too. I do love the kid; I just wish he wasn't around all the time. I need to have a little privacy before the baby arrives…a little time to myself. _

I was sad. I didn't know that I had become a burden to Aunt Jen. I wondered if Uncle Jimmy felt the same. I put my clothes away and then turned off the game. I went out to find Uncle Jimmy who was in his office reading medical journals on the little couch. He looked up and smiled at me.

"What's up?"

"I was just wondering when my Dad was coming?"

He looked worried, "I don't know, why? Is something wrong?"

I shook my head, "I just don't want to cause any problems here. I don't want to be a burden to you and Aunt Jen. With the baby coming, maybe I shouldn't come over so often."

Uncle Jimmy chuckled and motioned for me to come over to him. I did, sitting down on the couch next to him. He put his arm around me and squeezed my shoulders. I opened the gate to find out what he was thinking. At first all I got was this bath of love. If I ever doubted that my Uncle Jimmy didn't love me; that flow of love would be proof that he did.

His voice was warm and comforting, "This is your home. You can come here _anytime_. Aunt Jen loves you too; she's just overwhelmed with becoming a mother. It's not easy and it is her first time with a newborn." He hugged me again and we sat there for a minute. I could read his thoughts loud and clear.

_Not come over? Not see him? I look forward to having him around. He's more stable than his father and more fun to play with…ha, ha, ha. But, it would be good if Furey had a stable home life with House. If there was a woman for Furey to think of as a mother-figure. He loves Jen and she loves him, but there isn't really a mother-son bond. Furey deserves that._

"Uncle Jimmy, I don't tell you very often, but I love you."

Uncle Jimmy smiled warmly and hugged me, "The same goes for me. You mean a lot to me, Furey. I'm so glad that my daughter is going to grow up with you around."

"Thanks Uncle Jimmy, I can't wait."

The truth was that I was having mixed feelings ever since I heard it was a girl. Girls at school were a nuisance. They'd say one thing and think another. You'd think by the way they talked to most boys that they didn't want us around. Yet, I'd listen to their thoughts and they'd be dying for us to talk to them or phone them. I was glad I was only nine and had a long way to go before I had to kiss one. Still, I knew I would enjoy being a big brother and I really wanted to show Aunt Jen that she could rely on me around the baby.

Uncle Jimmy had been over the moon when he found out his baby was a girl. In his mind, he had the perfect combination, a son and a daughter. It seems strange, but he never thought of me as just Dad's. He thought of me as his kid too. And when he was mad at me, he didn't send me home for Dad to punish, he took care of it himself. I only remember once that he swatted me and it really shocked me. I was about the reach up and grab a pan off the stove and wham, he connected with my butt and I pulled back right away. Of course, now I know why he did it. But back then I was confused. I didn't think he loved me anymore. As soon as I realized he had hit me, I felt all his worry and fear projected at me at such a high volume that, even as a three year old, I knew that I had been in danger. I cried and cried until he managed to rock me in his arms to sleep. Uncle Jimmy is a yeller and a "time out-restriction" parent. I've had my Xbox taken away a lot for reading thoughts when I was told not to. Luckily, he doesn't know how often I really do it or I'd never get to play _Halo_. I love my Dad the most in the whole world, but Uncle Jimmy and Auri come a close second.


	10. Chapter 10

**Betazed**

**Chapter 10**

**Ravaged by the Gorilla**

"Auri, are you listening?" My partner, Fred, asked.

I looked up out of my daze, "Yeah…sure I am. What were you saying?" I had completely spaced out trying to listen for Furey in the chatter that was going on in my head. Apparently, he had moved on and didn't need me after all, because he wasn't there.

"Okay, two nuns go into a zoo and are looking at this silver-back gorilla. He reaches out, grabs one of the nuns, pulls her into the cage where he ravages her. She's in the hospital when the other nun comes in. The visiting nun moves close to the bed and timidly asks, "I'm sorry sister, but I have to know. What was it like?" The nun lifts up and looks at the visiting sister, "_Like? Like?_ He doesn't write, call, send flowers…."

I started to laugh. I actually thought it was quite funny and pretty appropriate considering I felt like the nun in the hospital bed. It had been five, almost six months since Greg and Furey had boarded the plane in San Diego and flown back to Princeton. Greg hadn't called, emailed or had any contact with me. Our little relationship was officially over as quickly as it had started.

"That's funny. I like that one. Hey Fred, I don't feel him here. He's not around here anymore. This is a dead lead."

Fred looked at me, his face fallen, "You must be joking, it's less than twenty-four hours old."

I patted him on the shoulder, "It's dead. We might as well go inside and see what we can get from the imprint he left inside." We had been sitting in our car for an hour waiting for our suspect to come back to the apartment, the address we got off of an application he filled out just a week ago and we found a few days later when his social security number was checked. I had been trying to get a feel on the place, but I felt nothing, no imprints this far away from the apartment. That usually meant that the imprints of his presence were fading because he no longer lived there. Sometimes if I was able to touch something the suspect touched I could get readings, even if they were faint.

_Auri, are you there?_

_Yes, Furey?_

_My Dad is having trouble with the IRS, is that bad?_

I had to laugh. It didn't surprise me one bit that Greg was dueling with the IRS.

_It depends on whether he lied to them or not._

_Knowing my Dad, I'd say he probably lied to them._

_Well then he could be in some trouble._

_Will he go to jail?_

_Not likely. He'll probably have to pay a fine and interest. How is your Dad?_

_Lonely._

I laughed, I knew that Furey was saying that to garner sympathy for the devil. _Well, that's a shame. He should join a club or ask one of the female doctors out._

_They think he's mean. They only know him from work and he can be pretty tough._

_Well, honey, not much I can do for you. I have to get back to work. I'll talk to you later, okay?_

_Okay. Bye._

_Bye._

I don't know what it was about Furey that I loved so much, but he was a good kid, despite his father's influence. He had a lot more empathy for others, although he and his Dad shared some cynicism about the world and the same sense of humor.

Fred and I got out of the car and knocked on the door with our warrant, but, as I already knew would happen, no one answered. I entered through a window and unlatched the door for Fred who was much bigger than me and unable to make the climb through the window that I had just made. As we started to walk through the apartment, I began picking up impressions. There was a smell in the apartment that we both knew was dried blood. We found the source of it in the small bedroom next to the unmade bed. The hardwood floor was soaked crimson with blood.

As I walked into the room, I was jolted with images of a brutal assault on a young woman that I knew to be Peggy Morrow, the latest female to go missing in the area. She had similar traits to the other victims of our suspect. She was a size 12, mid-twenties and around 5'6". She was fair and had blue eyes. The assault ended with both rape and sodomy. As he sodomized her, he wrapped an electrical cord around her neck and strangled her until she passed out. Then he slit both wrists vertically and let the blood pour out of her veins.

It took awhile for me to realize that Freddy was shaking me and yelling my name. The look on his face told me all I needed to know. I had been gagging and crying during the visions of the strangulation and I had then gone quiet, my face draining of blood as I watched the blood drain from Peggy's wrists.

"Auri, come back, Auri!"

I focused back on Freddie's eyes, nodding to let him know that I had heard him. "She's still here."

Freddie looked horrified, "What? She's still here?"

"Her body is somewhere close. Her murder occurred less than forty-eight hours ago and he didn't have time to move the body off the premises. She's still here. He wasn't frightened away by us. Someone else was close to finding out."

"Christ, Auri" Freddie hated when he found a body. He was the only FBI agent I knew who would prefer that another team find the body. It was odd, because working with me meant we found a lot of bodies.

"Sorry." I smiled at Freddie. I was only saying sorry to be polite. I wanted to find the body to make sure that I had correctly interpreted the impressions I was feeling. Freddie went back to the car to get the camera, leaving me to go through the golden brick apartment by myself. The apartment was on the bottom floor giving the murderer access to under the building.

Freddie came back from the car bearing both a digital recorder and a camera. He started the recording,"August 24th, Missing Person, Rachel Westmoreland, 2304 Pine street, Apartment B, Time 2:27 pm, Special Agents Fred Osterland, 1Aurigae Ferrell. Agent Ferrell?" He pointed the camera at me and smiled. But, I had a hard time responding; I was in a trance walking through the house touching the cream painted plaster walls, the arched doorways and touching furniture. He whispered loudly, "Auri! Auri? "

I turned and looked at Freddie, suddenly aware that he had started the recorder. "Ah…yes, I'm picking up imprints from the apartment. He's tall, approximately 6'3"- 6'4". He's thin and I'm getting light brown hair. The perpetrator coaxed Rachel from the shopping mall by telling her that there had been an accident involving her car. He wears a security uniform. Rachel was killed here, in the bedroom. She's still here. I believe she's buried under the building, in the cellar." I closed my eyes, the fear and pain of Rachel pulsing through my body.

Shutting off the camera, Freddie waited. He knew how hard this was on me and could tell that I was still in the middle of feeling whatever Rachel had felt in her last minutes on earth.

"Auri, are you okay?"

I leaned on the plaster wall and put my head back, closing my eyes. I nodded at Freddie. "Are you ready to go to the cellar?"

"Can't we wait for the evidence crew?" He said, knowing we couldn't.

I laughed. I shook my head and started for the cellar, my flashlight on. I tried to turn on the light to the cellar, but the murderer had taken the bulb out of the light fixture. I flashed the light down and started towards the bottom. Stupidly, I had the light shining on the ground rather than on the stairs. I felt myself falling through the tread, falling down to the ground, on my knees. My torso fell forward, head hitting on the stringer of the stairs.

"Auri!" Freddie yelled.

**********

I ached in my knees and my head was throbbing, "Watch it." I yelled up to Fred, "The killer removed a tread…I'm bleeding, a little. I don't think I broke anything." I continued to feel my body and apparently had a gash above my eyebrow. With the blood falling down my face, I crawled out from under the stair treads. I felt something uneven in the floor. "Freddie, are you down yet?"

His flashlight grazed over my face, "_Jesus, Auri, you have blood all over your face!"_

"Yeah, yeah…" I crawled back under the stairs and grabbed my flashlight which I had dropped when I landed. "This, this is it." I let the light of my flashlight fall on the uneven part of the floor. "She's under this fresh patch of concrete."

I couldn't see Freddie, but I could feel his uneasiness. I knew he wanted any excuse to get out of there and he thought of one, "Come on Auri, we need to get you to the doctors. You're going to need stitches.

We went up the steps and Freddie called for the investigation team, told them what I had found, that I had been injured and he was taking me to the doctors. I held up some Kleenex that I had in the car to the gash, but the cut bled through within a minute. I took off a sock and put it to my head. We received directions over the phone and I was at the hospital within minutes.

The doctor began mopping the two inch wound above my right eyebrow, checking the wound over, "I'd say this is an eight stitch problem. It should heal nicely. The stitches should be removed in ten days."

Already upset that I hadn't been present when they started the jackhammering of the slab, I made a beeline straight to the car. "Let's get back to the apartment. I want to be there when the body is removed to see if I get any impressions."

Freddie winced, "Auri, really, haven't we done enough?"

"Freddie, just drop me off and I'll find my own way back to the hotel." I turned to him and gave him a look that he knew too well, I wasn't going to budge.

He sneered and started the car, driving the five miles back to the apartment. I got out of the car, knowing that Freddie would get out too. There was no way he wanted the rest of the crew see that he had left the crime scene, he'd get ribbed about his squeamish stomach again and he was really tired of being the brunt of everyone's joke.

As I walked into the house, several of the agents and investigative team nodded in recognition. My superior, Special Agent Rhodes, walked over. Rhodes was a weathered man of average height, gray hair and tired brown eyes, "Well Ferrell, once again it looks like you're right. Is this just good detective work or a result of your "special powers"?"

I hated it when they referred to my intuitive abilities as "special powers", as if they didn't exist. "Both sir, a little of both. Did they find the body?"

"We found a button in the concrete that matches the button on the sweater in the photo we have. We're pretty sure we're going to find her. How's the head?"

"Just a few stitches. Looked worse than it was."

"Go ahead and go down." Rhodes nodded towards the basement as he slid past Auri and Freddie, patting Fred on the upper arm, "Good work Osterland."

I never received a pat on the upper arm or an enthusiastic atta boy. I know that Rhodes considered my powers "cheating." What he didn't know was the emotional toll it took out of any intuitive to do this kind of work. We often felt and absorbed the horror and pain of the victims in their last hours on Earth. But he wouldn't understand. Rhodes was basically a cop and could care less what profilers or intuitives went through. As far as he was concerned we should suck it up and get on with our jobs.

Freddie went off to work with the investigative crew that was working in the bedroom while I started down the steps of the cellar. It was now brightly lit by battery run halogen lights. I could see the missing stair tread where I had fallen through approximately 10 feet to the floor below.

"Hey Auri?" I heard Geordi's voice call out. "Is this all your blood under here?"

I rounded the bottom of the stairs and looked at the sticky puddle under the steps, "I'm afraid so. "

The dust from the jack-hammering was starting to settle, making it easier to see the area that had been demolished in the concrete floor. I looked down and wasn't surprised to see that they had already hit dirt. The guys were fast.

I heard someone call my name, "Auri."

I turned around to look, but it was in my head, it was Furey. He sounded distressed, afraid. _Furey? Honey, what's up? You sound scared._

_They made me drink it…I feel weird. They won't let me go home. I want to go home to my Dad…I feel tired… _His thoughts were dragging, like he was drugged.

_Furey, honey, who is keeping you from going home?_

_Auri…I feel funny…like…_

I felt sick in the pit of my stomach, the connection was gone. Beads of sweat formed across my forehead. I had to get out of the basement; the closeness of it was making me sick. I don't remember walking out of the house, but the next thing I knew, Freddie had his hand on my shoulder and was talking to me.

"…okay? Auri? Did you hear me? You don't look so hot, are you okay?"

My voice was hoarse, "Freddie, remember the kid I told you about? The Intuitive?"

Freddie nodded.

"He's in trouble, real trouble." I took several deep breaths, "I think someone has drugged and kidnapped him."

Freddie sighed, "Oh man, here we go."

Freddie knew me too well. We had worked together for five years and he had learned the hard way that my talent was real. I pulled out my cell phone and called Princeton information for Gregory House. The only number they would give out was the hospital phone number. I was connected and his voice mail came on. I went cold and scared; there was no telling how long it would take for him to get the message. I called for the number to Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and was connected through.

"I'm Special Agent Ferrell of the FBI. I need to speak to Gregory House's supervisor."

The weary voice simply said, "I bet you do."

I was connected.

"Lisa Cuddy. Can I help you?"

"Ms. Cuddy, I'm Special Agent Ferrell, FBI. We need to contact Dr. House immediately. It's an emergency."

"Emergency? Medical?"

"No ma'am, it involves his son."

"Furey?"

I heard and felt the emotion in her voice elevate.

"Yes."

"He's alright, isn't he?" The pitch of her voice was higher, scared.

"We need to talk to Dr. House."

"Yes, I'll get him."

It took five or more minutes, but I heard an intrepid voice answer the phone, "Auri?"

"Greg." My heart started beating faster. "Greg, there's something wrong with Furey. Someone's given him something, perhaps a drug. They're holding him against his will."

There was a chuckle, "Auri, is this your way of getting me to call you? Furey is with Wilson."

I wanted to remain calm, but I was both angry and worried, "You jerk! You think I'd use Furey to get to you? I don't give a damn if you care about me or not, but I know you love your son. Now, notify the local police that he's missing and someone drugged him. I'm going to find a way to get up there."

"Where are you?"

"I'm just south of Washington D.C., I'll be up there as soon as possible."

I heard him chuckle, "Auri, this is a joke isn't it? I mean, how can you know where he is when you're in Washington D.C.?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head as I tried to read him. He didn't believe me. To him, I was just making up a story to get close to him. "Greg, Teagan and I knew each other because we were both Intuitives that had been hired by the FBI to work for them. Your son and I have been in constant psychic communication."

There was a deep silence. I could hear his doubts; he thought I was saying this to get into his pants.

"Greg, your son spoke to me earlier. He's worried about you. He's afraid that you're going to go to jail because the IRS is auditing you."

I felt the jolt of his brain as it registered that I was telling the truth. The utter fear that he felt flowed through me. He was thinking through what Furey was supposed to be doing that afternoon. I could see him instructing Furey to take the bus back to Wilson's and make sure he did his homework. Furey nodded to his Dad as he got out of the car.

"Greg, call the police and tell them he's missing. I'm on my way."

His voice was tight with fear, "Yeah, okay." The phone went dead.

"I'm going to Princeton. You coming with me?"

Freddie shook his head, "We don't work kidnappings; we work serial murders."

I shrugged my shoulder, "We do this one. This kid is important, very important--to me, to his Dad, to the FBI. He's got to be found. He's the next generation of Intuitives."

Freddie rolled his eyes and sighed. I had to find my boss and let him know.

**Dear Readers, **

**Thanks for sending me that Review...it was a reminder that I hadn't posted today. And thanks for everyone's feedback. It's always nice to know that people are reading! Thanks for the comments. I do hope that you're all enjoying it. Gorblimey2**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Psychic SOS**

The bus had let us out and I was walking towards the door when I spotted Toby talking to a woman. She had on a uniform with a reflective vest and was stopping the traffic to let the kids cross. It was a little odd because normally kids acted as the crossing guards. But I saw the normal crossing guards, two sixth graders, sitting on the school wall, talking to each other. I went over to speak to them.

"What's up?" I nodded at the adult directing traffic.

Tanya Conway, the sixth grader that was our student body president, frowned, "That lady said that she'd be directing the traffic today and maybe tomorrow because of some planned construction."

I left them and waited for Toby to catch up with me. "What did the guard want?"

Toby turned and looked at the crossing guard, "She wanted to know if I liked school, who was my teacher and who was my best friend. I told her you were. She wanted to know why we weren't walking together. I told her you rode the bus and I walked."

"Oh." I dropped the subject when I noticed another bruise on Toby's jaw.

"Your Dad is hitting you again?"

"Nah, I fell off my skateboard."

I didn't say anything more because I could hear his thoughts and he was really frightened that I would say something. We went through the day and when I went to get on the bus, the crossing guard came up to me.

She smiled at me, "Excuse me, are you Gregory Furey?"

"Yeah?"

"Your Dad is Gregory House, right?"

I nodded.

"They want you in the office, something about your Dad."

"I'll miss my bus."

"They'll make sure you get home, don't worry."

I followed her, not thinking that I should try and read her. I was worried about my Dad. He was really stressed out about the IRS and always seemed on edge. We turned the corner by one of the classrooms, when the guard opened the door to it, looked around and then grabbed me, pulling me inside.

"What are you doing?" I pulled, but she had a strong grip on my wrist, "I want to go. Let me go!"

A man came into the classroom; he was the substitute teacher we had in our class just two weeks before. He had a squirt bottle in his hand which he pushed into my chest with a force that took the wind out of me, while the woman continued to hold me in a death grip. I was almost as tall as her, but she had my arm pinned in a way that I couldn't move.

He motioned to the bottle, "Drink that."

I was scared, having a hard time concentrating. The lady pulled on my arm and I thought it would snap. I used my free arm to drink.

_Auri _

_Furey? Honey, what's up? You sound scared._

_They made me drink it…I feel weird. They won't let me go home. I want to go home to my Dad…I feel tired…_

_Furey, honey, who is keeping you from going home?_

My head felt heavy, I was having trouble understanding her. _Auri…I feel funny…like…_

_*************************_

I woke up in an old house, I was in a bedroom with two windows, but I was up high, probably the second floor because I could see a tree top just outside. There was chain around my ankle attached to the bed. I heard voices in the next room. I tried to lift up, but my head hurt so much that I put it down on the pillow again. A few seconds later the door opened and the same man, Mr. Arenson the substitute teacher, stuck his head in.

"Ah! Awake." He opened the door and came inside, sitting down on the bed. "Greg. Do they call you Greg?"

I didn't say or do anything.

"We want to put you to work."

"Work?"

He nodded, "We need to know what some friends are thinking and one it just so happens that your mother was responsible for me going to prison ten years ago with her special talents. And, we think you may be special too."

"I'm not." I said as convincingly as I could. But when I tapped into his thoughts, he didn't believe me.

"Greg, we've been talking to people and know that you amaze the other kids on the playground by telling them what they're thinking. Now we just want you to tell us what this man is thinking. We need to know if he is a cop or not."

I tried to listen to his thoughts. He was worried that I was trying to read him so he started thinking of music; his mind focused on _It's a Small World._ But I heard his thoughts just before he switched. Mr. Arenson was worried that the man who was buying the guns was ATF. After he finished the song, he turned to me, "Help us and your Dad won't be hurt."

I said nothing, but he was thinking about two men who were at Dad's hospital. They had guns and were in the parking lot watching my Dad's car in the handicap spot. He had been watching my Dad for several days. The images were for my benefit; he was purposefully thinking about it to show me he was telling the truth.

I began to cry, _"Leave my Dad alone!"_

"Well, I'd like to do that, but we need your cooperation. We need you to read this one man and, if you do that, we won't hurt your Dad."

I could see that he was telling the truth, he wasn't going to hurt Dad if I cooperated.

"Now, drink this." He shoved the bottle towards me.

I knew the water had drugs in it. I only had one opportunity before I drank it and went back under. I screamed my thoughts as fast as I could. _Auri! Auri! Substitute teacher, Mr. Arenson, crossing guard, they have me. I'm upstairs in a room. I don't know where. They're drugging me. _ I drank some of the water while they watched. _They sell guns and they think the buyers are ATF. Auri, take care of my Dad. They're going to hurt him. They've…they've been…watching…_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Guarding the House**

Furey's frantic message scared the hell out of me. Guns? They had guns or were selling guns or both. If they were worried about the ATF, then it meant they probably bought and sold guns. I immediately informed the Princeton FBI field office of my contact with Furey and then demanded to see my boss's boss and was now standing in his leather-laden office in Washington D.C.

"I don't really give a damn, sir. I know Agent Rhodes told you I was working an important case, and I am, but this is more important to the nation's security. We have a boy out there with abilities equivalent to mine and he's been kidnapped. Now this kid is not only an important intuitive, but he's the son of Teagan Furey, my friend and intuitive that worked for the Agency for ten years. We owe it to her to get her son back, safe and sound_. I owe it to her_."

I was pleading my case to Joseph Persichini, Jr., the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office. He kept looking at me and then Rhodes, who had just a few minutes earlier told him it was a waste of valuable resources to send me to Princeton. I, apparently, was the valuable resource.

"Agent Ferrell is an important part of this investigation." Rhodes said.

I kept my mouth shut; I could hear the AD debating the pros and cons in his head. He was leaning my way because he knew I was going to go anyway; he didn't want to be the person to lose both the best Intuitive agent they had _and_ another intuitive in the wild.

"I'm releasing Agent Ferrell and her partner to work the kidnapping."

Rhodes sputtered, "But we don't even know it's a kidnapping!"

The AD gave Rhodes the funniest look as if to say, 'after all the years you've been around her and you don't believe her?', but instead he said, "I think it's safe to assume we have a kidnapping." He turned to me, "I will call Princeton and let them know you're coming and tell them to give you their full cooperation."

I was given access to the division chopper. Freddie and I were on loan from the San Diego field office for the last two months while we worked this murder case and now we were being loaned out by the Washington field office to investigate the kidnapping of Gregory Scott Furey. We went first to the hotel rooms where we had been living for the last two weeks. Our rooms both looked like we had been living in them for years. We hastily packed what clean clothes we had and took off for the heliport, arriving in Princeton at 9:40 pm. Another agent would come in and pack the rest, sending it on later.

We contacted the police who had set up tracing equipment in Greg's townhome, Wilson's house and Greg's office, just in case the kidnappers called on those lines. I asked to be taken directly to the last place anyone had seen Furey. We couldn't get in, the janitor had gone home, but I was able to stand near the door. I tried to relax to pick up any residual imprints of what had happened. It turned out to be the school. When I arrived, I realized quickly that the kidnappers were no longer near the school because I was feeling no connection to them except for the imprints I picked up from the kidnapping itself. I was concentrating and hadn't noticed the raucous behind me. Finally a voice pierced my trance.

"_Auri, damn it._ Auri, tell them to let me through."

I shook the cobwebs from my head and turned to see a very pissed Gregory House wrestling with one of the special agents from the Princeton area. "Richard, it's okay…he's the father, let him through."

As soon as I said it, he rushed towards me and I was hit by a wall of emotions from Greg. I had forgotten how upset he would be and how he would broadcast his anxiety. Normally, I can buffer the emotions of loved ones during a case, but after our few intense days together in San Diego, I was picking Greg up like an amplifier. I knew immediately that letting him near me was a mistake. My absorption of his pain, guilt and worry was going to make it difficult for me to concentrate on what little residual was left at the school.

I raced to meet him, to prevent his imprint from over-imprinting the area. "Greg! Stop! Don't come any closer." He stopped and I caught up to him. I grabbed his arm and gently pulled on it. I said quietly, "Come over here." I nodded towards the other side of the street.

He became frustrated, "Where are you taking me?"

I centered myself, preparing my psyche so that I could pull off some of his energy, to help drain the fear and helplessness off of him. It was overwhelming. I realized that I was already highly emotional because of my fondness for Furey. Trying to take on Greg's emotions was too much. I turned and looked at him, but my head was swimming,

"Greg, don't contaminate the scene with your emotions."

He screwed up his forehead, "_What?"_

The depth of his emotions was overwhelming, I felt like I was drowning.

"I w…want...you." I could feel the heat of my body on the outside, while the cold seeped up from my feet to my head on the inside. I couldn't keep my mind from going black. I wasn't sure what had happened, but I could smell grass, blades of it were tickling my nose. A hand was shaking me accompanied by a very animated voice, Greg's voice.

"Auri…Auri?"

I turned over on the ground and looked up to see an annoyed Greg looking down.

"Auri? For Chris' sake, get up. Do what you do--you have to find Furey."

I tried to lift my head up, but it kept swimming. "Greg, you're so worried, your emotions are pushing me over the edge. I love Furey and between my anxiety and yours, I'm on overload. I either need you to calm down or leave."

He looked as if I had just thrown cold water on him. He was pissed and shocked and confused all at the same time. He rolled through these emotions which then rolled right over me. I still couldn't get up.

"Agent Ferrell? Are you okay?" Officer Dill asked as he and Richard were leaning over me.

I looked up from the ground at their rather perplexed faces. Holding up a hand, I weakly motioned for them to leave Greg and I alone.

After they left, I touched Greg's foot, "I can't…I really can't do this with you nearby. You're so worried and because we've…well, because of the special relationship we had, I'm susceptible to your feelings. Your feelings on top of mine, well, it's hard to handle. Do you understand? Did Teagan ever explain to you how it works?"

"She never said that I was too emotional."

I smiled as kindly as I could, "She never had to deal with you facing the kidnapping of your son. I'm just as intuitive as Teagan, maybe more."

He smirked, "Yeah, right. Then how come my son is missing?"

Now I was pissed, he was trying to blame me for Furey being gone. "Greg, I'm good, but I can't be listening in to Furey's thoughts _all the time. _I at least have a very good connection with him. When he's awake, I can hear him clearly."

I felt him ease up a little, "You can?_" _He sounded like a little boy. He swallowed and his voice cracked, "Did he sound scared?"

I sat up, finally feeling somewhat in control, "Yes, he was frightened, but he's smart. He gave me some information which was helpful. I was hoping to come here to get some more vibrations, imprints of the kidnappers." I looked up into his beautiful, but miserable, blue eyes. Even in what little light we had from the headlamps, flashlights and street lamps, I could see his worry. "Greg, I'll do whatever I can. Have they contacted you yet?"

He shook his head. "I have my cell phone and need to get back. I overheard them say you were here. I thought something might be happening here so I came down."

"Go back to your place; I'll drop by after I read this area. Greg, you do know that I love Furey and I'll do whatever it takes to get him back?"

House nodded, "No matter what happened between us, Furey adores you and I trust you."

I chuckled. "Happened between us? What happened is that you flew home and forgot about me."

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "I flew home, I didn't contact you, but I never forgot about you."

He helped me to my feet and I patted his back and then put my arms around him, hugging him like a mother. "We'll do everything possible to get him safely home."

I felt the muscles in his body tighten, "He's all I've got. He's the only reason I get up in the mornings."

"I know, now be careful, they had someone watching you. I don't think they're watching anymore; they did it so Furey would see it in their minds, but I think that they pulled their spy off of you. Still be careful."

I held him until he was able to lift his head and walk away. I believed him; Furey was the glue holding Greg House together. I wanted so much to make them both feel safe and wasn't sure that I could.

Greg was escorted back to his townhome to hopefully wait for a phone call, but I had a vague feeling that the kidnappers didn't want money from Greg; they wanted Furey. He was worth more than what Greg could give them.

I went back to the front door of the school, but wasn't picking up anything of substance. However, I did feel a very nervous presence, an imprint of someone who was scared so I followed it. I was a little surprised to find out that it went out to the street…to the crosswalk. I started getting images, strong, clear images of Furey getting off the bus. Someone who had stood in this crosswalk had watched him. It was a woman and she was actually worried about Furey. She knew that someone had lied to her, that they were not going to release Furey after he did whatever it was they wanted him to do. I was glad that I was feeling this. It meant someone among the kidnappers was worried about their charge. Furey had someone who might be used to help him. When he woke up, he could try to gain her sympathy.

I continued to search for further imprints, but would have to come back the next day to get inside the school. I drove back to Greg's to wait in case I was wrong and there was a phone call. When I arrived at the townhouse, I sat in the car to center myself before facing him. I knew that I had to get a handle over my own emotions. I meditated for twenty minutes, felt better and then got out of the dark blue Taurus with the government license plate. As I was walking into the townhouse, Wilson was walking out. He looked up and I could tell that he was sick with worry and guilt. He was blaming himself for Furey's absence. We talked briefly and then he went home to get some sleep. I walked in to find Greg on the sofa with a tall glass of whiskey. Surrounding him were agents with all the necessary equipment to trace and record a call if it came in. I went over to Greg.

"Greg, you need to go get some sleep. I'm going to need your help in the morning and I need you sharp and alert."

He shook his head, "No, I want to be awake when the call comes in."

I whispered in his ear, "Let's go to your bedroom so that I can discuss something with you."

As we made our way to the bedroom, there were a few looks from the other agents, wondering what I was doing. But, since I was the senior agent on the scene, they said nothing. Opening the door, I couldn't help but look around the bedroom while he sat his drink on the night stand and took off his shoes to lie down on top of the bed. I smiled when I saw the photo of Teagan holding Furey. It broke my heart. I realized how much I missed her and how stupid it was to have lost touch with her.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at Greg, who was obviously exhausted. I grabbed his sock-clad foot and gave it a sympathetic squeeze. He didn't react; he wanted me to tell him what he needed to hear.

"They aren't going to call." I had decided that Greg House was the last person I wanted kept in the dark. He was too damn bright not to use his talent if he thought of something and he was too persistent if you tried to keep something from him.

I saw his eyes pop open and his mouth open slightly. He shook his head, "But why?" But, before I could get it out, he closed his eyes as he realized the answer, "They want him, not the money, don't they?"

I nodded. "But we're ahead of the game. They didn't count on Furey having a close relationship with an FBI agent, an intuitive. We've already got several leads including the fact that Furey was being watched by an adult female for several days. We'll start interviewing witnesses tomorrow. This woman is having second thoughts. She was originally told that Furey would be returned after some event, but now she knows that isn't true. Furey told me that it was his substitute teacher and a crossing guard that took him. We've got the principal and administrators working on these two identities. But, they obviously didn't care about being identified so I suspect that the trick will be to find them. They drugged Furey, but he contacted me within two hours of his abduction which means he's within a one and half hour plane or car ride. That narrows down the location. When Furey comes through again, I'll try to get him to describe his location in more detail. I think they're gun dealers and are using him because they have suspicions about whether the buyers are ATF. Now you know, in a nutshell, what I know. I'm supposed to give you limited information, but in light of the fact that you put puzzles together for a living, you may be able to help us. But Greg, you won't be any good to me if you don't get some sleep."

He kept shaking his head, "I'm too wired."

"Well, maybe I can help."

I received an image of us having sex which made me laugh, "No, not that."

"I forgot that you're intuitive. So, how did that work when we were together? Were you playing me?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Not really, I would have told you, but Furey didn't want you to know. He thought you wouldn't like me if you knew. It looks as it didn't matter either way, you still didn't stay in touch. But, he and I have talked on an almost daily basis."

Greg cocked his head to the side, "He talks to you?"

"We share our thoughts. I told you, he's very worried about you and the IRS. He thinks you're going to jail."

He rolled his eyes. "I never told him that."

"He picked up on your anxiety and started talking to people and reading things on the internet. I tried to assure him that you wouldn't go to jail." I took a deep breath and looked over at Teagan's photo. "Unless Furey contacts me, there's really nothing to be done until the morning. My abilities are better if I'm rested. So, I plan to get some sleep. Wait here."

I went out to the living room and made an announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, I need to recharge or my abilities aren't going to work very well tomorrow. I'm going to be lying down. If you find something, come back, knock on the door and wake me. I'll be in Furey's room. Dr. House will be in his room if you need him for anything." I went over and had a short conversation with Richard. Freddie had already gone to a hotel to get some sleep. I turned and went back to Greg's room, locking his door when I closed it.

He was sitting up on the side of the bed. I took off my shoes and motioned for him to stand up. I pulled back the cover, "Get in."

"I can't sleep…I told you."

"Just get in."

He gave me a brief look of frustration and crawled into the bed. I crawled in with him. I could feel his frustration turn to alarm. I slipped my arm around him and held him. His entire body stiffened, not sure what I was doing.

"Close your eyes and think of the harbor in San Diego." I could see his thoughts bouncing around, from the harbor to visions of me naked in bed, to Furey. I felt like I was in an arcade. But, it was okay…he was trying to concentrate on concentrating and so some of his emotions were calming down. I started to pull his anxiety out of him and send him waves of calm. I could feel his body relax. He slipped down to put his head squarely on the pillow. He was now eye to eye with me. I had to smile, he was so beautiful. I was more tired than I thought because I transmitted what I was thinking.

"You are too." He said.

We both smiled. I petted his hair and rubbed his ear. "Close your eyes again. You really need sleep."

It took another fifteen minutes of just stroking his face, hair and ear along with my calming waves, but he finally fell asleep. I doubted it would last long because his dreams would most likely be anxious and wake him. But any sleep was better than no sleep.

I got up and left, making my way down the hall to Furey's room. I chuckled when I saw it. It was so jammed with different interests and memories. The wall didn't have an inch that wasn't covered with posters of some sci-fi movie, television program or other iconic image. He had a keyboard, guitar, mandolin and flute in a corner that obviously was used when he felt musical. The photos on his dresser broke my heart. They were of Teagan as a young girl, then as a young woman, another of her holding him as a baby and one of her in Yosemite dressed in a waitress uniform. I smiled at the one of her in Yosemite, she was so happy in the mountains. There was even one of her that I had taken when we were on vacation at her cabin. She was pretending to be a mountain woman with a huge shotgun by her side. I smiled. I saw a photo of Greg and Teagan with Furey in Greg's arms. They all looked like they belonged together, their smiles warm and genuine. My heart was aching.

Turning, I saw his bed, unmade. It had a headboard with a bookshelf crammed with books. The room had books, computer equipment, a stereo, an incredible amount of paraphernalia for a young child. You could tell that this was the room of a very bright mind.

I kicked off my shoes and took off my clothes, grabbing a t-shirt from Furey's drawer. I turned on a soft light that reflected stars on the ceiling. Climbing in bed, I tried one more time to make contact with Furey before turning off the main light, but I received nothing back. I meditated to get rid of Greg's anxiety that he had passed on to me and then fell into a deep sleep.

I thought they were waking me up to tell me they had a lead. But then I caught a smell and knew that the body crawling in under the covers was Greg. I was about to ask him what he was doing when his arm wrapped around my body. I was confused at first. He was anxious, upset, concerned about Furey, but his body was in need of a release and he had decided I was it.

I had little time to protest; I was still waking up when I realized that he had already wrestled my panties down, pushed my top up and was sucking on my breasts. I started to say something to him, but he covered my mouth with his, pressing his tongue to meet mine. I felt waves of desperation, desire, pain, need. I felt his hand pushing my legs apart and within seconds he had stabbed inside of me. I wasn't wet, the lack of lubrication made the entire experience painful for me as he pumped me raw. It was over in less than a minute. He collapsed into a stupor on top of me, the pain was excruciating, both mentally and physically. I slid out from under him and then held him as tight as I could. He started to cry in my arms. My heart broke into pieces for this man who looked to his son to make him human.

I don't know when we fell asleep, but we did and the next thing I knew, I woke up with Greg House's naked body draped over my semi-naked body.

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	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Changing Channels**

I woke up and realized that someone had pulled a blanket over me in the night. I sat up and the light was just coming in through the window. It was the same color of my sky in Princeton, it didn't look any different. I didn't know if that meant anything, but I thought it might.

_Auri! Auri! Where are you? Are you there? Auri! Auri!_

_Sweetie! I'm here, I'm here honey. How are you?_

_I think I'm okay. I woke up with a blanket on me. The sky is a grayish pink. Is it a grayish pink where you are?_

_Just a sec…yes, it is honey. It's a grayish pink. That's good; tell me more about where you are._

_I'm in a room about half the size of mine. There's a twin bed, wood floor, a table. Oh, there's a banana on my table…an apple too. A book…wait…the book has a mark in it. Princeton Paupers._

_Princeton Paupers?_

_Auri…it's a used book store. I bought my last two Harry Potters there._

_Good! Good sweetie. Now listen. Your Mom and I learned a trick. We learned how to channel other people's thoughts and then project them to each other. It wasn't easy to learn, but maybe you could do it. _

I wasn't sure I understood her. _What do you want me to do? _

_Okay, Furey. I want you to try and fix on the thoughts of one of the people who took you. Don't just leave the thought, fix on it and pull it into your mind so that I can fish it out. _

I could feel her frustration, she knew this wouldn't be easy to learn, but it might mean my life. I was worried; I could tell that they were all asleep around me in this building. I had to pee and didn't know where to go.

_Auri?_

_Yes honey._

_I…I…I have to pee, but how do I do it?_

_You mean you can't reach your fly?_

_No! I mean, what do I pee into?_

I could feel her giggle.

_Honey, you can pee out the window, in a jar, in a plant…look around, is there a container somewhere?_

I got up, the chain was around my ankle, but there was enough links to let me move in a six foot radius. I looked under the bed and there was a stainless steel bowl.

_Auri, there's a stainless bowl under my bed, but it's empty._

_Honey, I think that's your answer, they left it for you to pee in. _

_Ewwwww._

_Just think of it like you were camping._

_I've never been camping._

_What? You're Dad never took you camping? Well, when you get home, I'll take you camping. But now let's try channeling those thoughts. I'll be quiet, you try and find someone to channel, okay._

_Okay._

I took a deep breath and started to feel around with my mind. Someone was out somewhere making coffee. Whoever it was started to think about his children; worried that he was going to get caught. I pulled on the thoughts tried to grab and hang on to them, but I wasn't sure I was doing it right. I kept trying, but I could feel them slip out.

_Auri, Auri…I don't think I can do it._

_Honey, I caught something, did he say something about creamer._

_Yeah, is that important?_

I could feel her amusement._ No honey, but it does mean that you're managing to broadcast his thoughts to me. If I can follow the trail, I can get them directly. Keep trying honey. Keep trying._

I kept trying because I loved Auri and I didn't want to let her down. So I searched again. I felt someone coming, a woman. She was thinking about breakfast.

…_donuts, milk, what else would he like? Hmmm. Well, tomorrow I'll get cereal. Tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll be in leaving for New York._

I felt Auri's excitement. _Furey, is that you thinking about milk or someone else? It sounds like a woman._

_Auri, it's a lady outside my door. Did you hear we're going to New York?_

_What? What exactly did she say? Ah, Greg is waking._

_That she'll get cereal tomorrow and that we'll be leaving tomorrow for New York. Auri, are you worried about Dad?_

_Huh? Honey, you need to concentrate on what's around you._

_No, I heard you think about Dad…that he was waking up, but you're worried. Why?_

_Your Dad is very anxious about you. He wants you back…just a sec…while I talk to your Dad, you try and listen in to the woman, okay?_

_Okay. Auri please come back._

_Honey, I'm right here. If something happens while I'm talking to your Dad, just yell, I'll hear you. Practice channeling._

I felt her mind go away. I made use of my time by listening in to the woman's thoughts. She was worried about me, worried that they weren't going to let me go, that they would either keep me or…kill me.

I freaked out. When she opened the door, I backed up. It was the crossing guard.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I brought you donuts and milk. Are you hungry?"

"I have to pee."

"You can pee in that bowl and we'll throw it out."

"That's unsanitary."

She laughed at me. "Here, have the food and take a pee. I'll come back and get the stuff later."

"Lady, do you have kids?"

She smiled at me, "No."

But I could tell she was lying. She had one child, but he had died. He had died in Iraq a year before. I saw a picture in her head of the casket, his burial, the soldiers around the grave.

"Your son was very brave, wasn't he?"

She stepped back and stared at me as if I was an alien. "My God, it's true. You are a psychic!"

My family never called me a psychic. I don't know why. My talent was always referred to as intuition. I listened to her. She started thinking about why they took me. I tried to capture the thoughts and pass them on, but Auri wasn't there.

"Lady, I'm scared. Can I go back to my Dad? I'm sure he's worried about me."

Her mind went crazy. _He wants his Dad. He's just a little boy who wants his Dad. Guns. It seemed the right thing. Sell the good guys the guns. But take a little boy from his Dad? They promised to give him back. That's what Bonfiglio promised us. Now Kaplinger says we may need him for the next deal. What deal? I thought this was the only deal._

_Auri! Are you getting this? Auri?_

She was back. _Honey, I'm getting a little. Concentrate, concentrate. _

I concentrated on pulling the thoughts from the lady. I tried really hard as she thought about what was going on.

_I don't like it. Why didn't Kap make us use something over our faces so the kid couldn't identify us? Either he plans to keep the kid or kill him. I didn't sign on for this. I need to talk to Bonfiglio._

_Furey, I heard that. She said Cap…what cap?_

_Kaplinger. Some person named Kaplinger. Auri, did you hear her? They may kill me._

_Honey, I heard. You did a great job. But, they need you right now. They aren't going to hurt you. Let them know that you have to be close to someone…in the same room to read them. I have to find something out, but try to keep alert for anything. I think I might have an idea of who you're going to meet. Okay honey? I have to go, but if something happens, yell at me. Okay, Furey?_

_Yeah. Okay. You'll be back soon, right?_

_Sweetie, I'm right here, just a yell away. Your Dad loves you and wants you to stay strong, okay?_

_Okay. I love him too. And Uncle Jimmy. Aunt Jen too. You too Auri. Please take care of my Dad._

_Sure honey. I love you. I'll talk to you soon._

I felt her mind pull away. I felt alone again, abandoned. I knew Auri was working hard to get me back, but I was still afraid. I asked my Mom to look down on me and keep me safe. I hate to admit it, but I started to cry.

**Dear Readers:**

**It's so cool to see where you come from! Netherlands, London, Michigan, Pennsylvania (half my family is from Philly), North Carolina and all over! I love it! I'd still like to read where you're from ...the internet is such a wonderful instrument to link us all together. Take Care, Kim**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Taking Care Of Dad**

When I woke up, I looked around to get my bearings. By the light of the little lamp I had left on, I could barely see the posters on the wall closest to me. Remembering I was in Furey's room, I turned and looked at the bearded Greg, snoring softly in my ear. I tried to pry myself from under him, worried that if something broke in the case, the agents would find me pinned under the naked father of the victim, something I didn't want to have to explain. My movement woke Greg, who immediately stared into my eyes which were less than six inches from his own.

"Are you receiving anything?" He asked anxiously.

"I shook my head. No, sorry. Go back to sleep." I looked at my watch. "It's 4:40 am."

He took in a deep breath and then searched my eyes, his hand reaching under my t-shirt.

"Greg, we shouldn't. You're the father of the victim in the case I'm working. If I get caught, it could mean my job."

He didn't change expressions or pull his hand away, "I won't tell."

I searched in his mind and could see that he was trying hard to stop thinking about his son. He had dreamed about him and his anxiety level had risen again. There was also an element of pure lust. He was naked, I had no panties on and he had a hand up my t-shirt firmly placed on a bare breast. His erection started pushing against my outer thigh and I was about to push him away when his hand slipped between my legs, he touched squarely on my clit, sending a jolt of pleasure I hadn't had since he had flown back to Princeton. I must have taken in a deep breath because I heard a little high-pitched noise come out of my mouth.

That was just the encouragement he needed. His finger first encircled me and then rubbed my engorging clit with a solid up and down motion that slowly increased in rhythm to the point where I was hanging on to his shoulder, my head flung back , mouth open, moaning. I pushed into his hand with the same force and rhythm as his hand until I was sopping wet. He rolled on his back and pulled for me to get on top. I straddled him as he grabbed his shaft and rubbed my clit with the milky head of his penis. I rolled around the edge of it before letting him penetrate me. He filled me up with the wet and warmth of his errection. I felt a congestion of sexual feelings throughout my pelvic area waiting to explode. He pumped up and out, up and out, his finger on my clit as he did. I could hear the sounds of our lovemaking, the wet sloppy sound of him pounding and slamming up into me. The smell of our sex filled my nostrils along with his sweaty musk. It was so overwhelmingly hot that when my orgasm hit me, I threw back my head, swallowed and yelled out so loud that he stopped. I couldn't stop. I used the muscles in my thighs to bounce myself up and down on his shaft as the waves of my orgasm flowed through me. My screaming continued. He pulled me down and kissed me, silencing my screams as he bucked up and down, milking the last contractions of my orgasm as his tongue danced inside my mouth. It was his turn, his face scrunched up as his orgasm pushed through him. He let out several short grunts and I could feel the ejaculation of his warm semen inside. He kept still as I did the work, clenching around his shaft with my muscles as I slipped up and down over his reddish pink organ. He finally let out one last groan then gripped my ass to keep me still.

"Oh…oh…that's enough. Yeah. Whew. "He started chuckling. "I forgot just how hot you were in bed. I think you're going to have to explain all that screaming to your friends out there. You were pretty loud." I looked at the door, wondering if it had a lock. I lifted up to let him fall out of me and then rolled onto my back.

He turned on his side to look at me, staring at my breasts as they heaved up and down. "Auri, about earlier tonight. I know I should have, well, slowed down, asked you. I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries."

I chuckled, "You didn't give me much opportunity to say no. But, I understand and I think I must have sent you signals that it was okay when I held you in your room. I have to admit that having sex with you was lurking in the back of the reptilian part of my brain from the minute I saw you." I rubbed his beard and he fell back into a somewhat light sleep. I lay next to his hairy, warm body thinking about what I needed to do to get Furey home.

I heard Furey call to me. I sat up and was talking to him when Greg woke up.

His voice was anxious, "Are you talking to him?"

I nodded. Greg was a nuisance, interrupting me to find out what Furey was saying. I had to finally put a hand over his mouth so I could concentrate. Furey was learning how to channel and project much faster than Teagan and I had learned. I didn't know if it was just because he was young, or if he was much better as an Intuitive, but he managed to send me snippets that were important. When I let him go, my heart ached. I knew he was scared, but I had to play my hunch.

Greg grabbed me as I tried to get out of bed, "No, wait! What did he say?"

"The woman is feeding him, he's being taken to New York and he's somewhere near the Princeton area because he described the morning sky to me. Greg, I have to get out there. I need to make some calls. I have a hunch."

"Hunch? Or is it your intuition?"

I smirked, "Hunch. I think he may be meeting with some ATF agents in New York."

He let me up, but watched my body as I dressed. His mind bounced from admiring certain aspects of my body to worrying about Furey. He looked so handsome, his chest exposed, the hair on it curly and gray. His hair was all gray, his face wrinkled, but sexy. As soon as my breasts were covered, he concentrated on his son. He was calmer. The sex had helped. I wanted to get back in bed and screw his brains out, but I figured that would have to wait.

After dressing, I went out to the living room and talked to Freddie who had arrived a few minutes earlier. It was only Freddie and Jeff in the house, the others had gone to get some sleep. They had on the television which may have meant my moaning wasn't heard.

"Here's what I think. They're making a deal tomorrow night to sell some guns. Either they're amateurs or suspicious, because they're worried that the buyers are ATF. They're using Furey as a polygraph test for the buyers. He's probably going to read their minds and let the kidnappers know if the buyers are for real. I don't know why they're suspicious, but let's check with the ATF about any deals going down tomorrow night. There are two names I need for you and the ATF to check out, Kaplinger and Bonfiglio. They may be part of the ring selling the guns." The team nodded and I started making phone calls.

I made contact with several arms of the agency and arranged to go back to the school. Obviously, Jeff had the food detail because we had a table with coffee and coolers of yogurt, diet coke, donuts, cereal bars and bagels. I grabbed a yogurt and took off with Freddie. When we arrived at the school, I went inside, following the imprints to a classroom. I found a janitor to unlock it.

The imprints were strong. This was where all the action took place. My stomach turned as I was hit with the imprints of Furey's fear and worry. I wanted to pick up on the male substitute teacher, get as much out of him as possible. I realized that Arenson was not his name, but then I suspected that already. He was Bonfiglio. He and Kaplinger wanted Furey for more than the arms deal. They were taking him to South America after the deal in New York was done.

The woman, the crossing guard, on the other hand, was worried about Furey. She was in this for some odd patriotic reason. Selling guns to Kurds? I wasn't sure what her logic was, but she couldn't care less about the money.

I had milked all I could out of the room when Furey hit me with a loud scream.

_Auri! They're taking me somewhere. They're putting me in a van and taking me somewhere. They've got a blindfold around my eyes. Auri! Help me, help me! I don't want to go, I want my Dad._

I could feel his horror, the naked fear he felt, his deep desire for his Dad to protect him. I didn't know if I could calm him. I was reaching emotional overload from early connections with his father, the classroom and now him.

_I'm here honey! I'm here. I think they are taking you to New York. I'm going to move operations there. Try and pass me anything you hear or feel or smell or discover. Please be calm honey. Don't let them know you can send messages too. Okay?_

I felt that just knowing I was there, that he wasn't alone, was having a calming effect on him.

_Okay, Auri. I'll try. _

I was on the phone with Marc Phelan, the ATF field director for New York. He was one of the good guys, one of the few in the ATF that worked well with the FBI.

"Jesus, Auri. How did you know about Kaplan's gang?"

I brought him up to speed.

He sounded frustrated, "So they're on to us? We were going to do a raid tonight when we sealed the deal."

"Marc, they aren't sure and Furey's going to tell them whatever we want them to know, but I have to go with you. I can find Furey for you, keep him safe. You can't chance a shoot-out with this kid nearby. Let me go in with you and find him. _Please."_

His voice had softened, "This is Teagan's kid?

"Yeah, he's a great kid too." I could feel him start to melt. He had a soft spot for Teagan. She had worked with him on a case where a guy was using Uzi's to rob liquor stores. He had killed several clerks and customers. It hadn't taken long to find the guy once Teagan was involved, but Marc was always grateful for the delicate way Teagan gave him credit for the bust.

"Well, you better get your butt to New York; we meet with them in six hours. We're briefing at four this afternoon."

"I'll be there. I hate to say this, but I'm bringing Furey's Dad. He's an overbearing jerk, but a brilliant and influential overbearing jerk. He needs to be there when his son is freed."

He wasn't happy with that, "Okay, but he's your problem."

"Gotcha. See you soon."

I left half the team in Princeton to drive up and the rest of us helicoptered to New York. I made Greg go in the car to keep him out of my hair for the next few hours. We managed to combine all the information we had about Furey and I was convinced Furey was with the group the ATF was meeting that night.

_Auri, we just arrived somewhere, lots of traffic noise. Smells like a city. I hear voices, but they're going underground. It's echoing like in a garage. _

_Keep sending me that information honey. When you get settled, I need to talk to you._

_Auri, how is my Dad? Is he okay?_

_He's going to be here in New York soon. He's nervous and worried. Don't communicate with him honey, go through me. I need for you and I to keep our connection strong. _

_Did you take care of my Dad last night?_

I almost laughed. I'm sure he could feel my amusement, but I managed to turn sober. _Yes, sweetie. I took really good care of your Dad last night._

_Good, I know he likes you. He just does stupid things like not call you. He knows you're an intuitive, doesn't he?_

_I had to tell him. Yes, he knows. Furey, you need to concentrate on your surroundings. We'll talk about your Dad later._

_Auri, I'm in an elevator, the news coming over the speaker is from a station in Hoboken, New Jersey. Are we in New Jersey still?_

_Honey, it's possible. But you hear New Jersey stations in New York too. I think you're close to New York City right now. Be careful, but try to channel to me some of their thoughts._

_Okay._

I waited for a few minutes and then I got a blast, like a radio being tuned into a station, but still getting some static. It was thoughts from one of his captors being projected to me by Furey.

_…liability. She's too worried about the kid. ….leave….she won't be happy, but that's okay. Let her pout. I don't want…near the kid…this goes down. If it is the ATF I'll have to kill him too. _

The thoughts turned to mundane things and Furey was whisked away. I kept the gate open for him, but I now had more to worry about. I had to infer from what I caught that they weren't going to take the woman with them and that was bad. Furey wouldn't have anyone on his side in that group. It would be up to me to find and protect him.

When Greg arrived in the city, I could feel him. The feelings grew more intense as he got closer. I knew this strong connection had to do with the physical contact we had the night before. I have to admit, I was feeling much better after that orgasm. He knew how to wring one out of me. He wasn't the sexiest guy I had ever been to bed with, but he was definitely the one that knew my anatomy the best. He gave me the longest and best orgasms a girl could ask for and that put him at the top of my lust list. When he entered the building I felt my nipples tingle and had to smile. Freddie caught my smile and was puzzled. I shrugged my shoulders and waited for Greg to enter the room.

The door opened, two agents came through and then Greg. He was frowning, worried. I got up and went over, shaking his hand. My nipples were at full attention, but my padded bra was hiding their salute.

"Come with me Dr. House and I'll brief you." I led him down the hall to another small conference room. As soon as the door closed I turned and pointed to a chair. "Greg, I think we know where he's going to be tonight and I'm going with the ATF to get him."

"You? Why you? Won't that be dangerous?"

I chuckled, "I'm trained for these things."

I felt his anxiety increase. He was worried about me now. I was bowled over. I really didn't expect him to be this concerned about my well being. I could hear his thoughts vacillate between wanting me to go because he knew I could find Furey to not wanting me to go because of his…_feelings for me?_

My voice cracked, "Greg?"

"I can feel you in my head. No sense keeping it from you, but I care about you and I'm not sure I want you to go. It would be absolutely horrible to lose my son. The only thing worse would be to lose you too."

I was speechless, unable to formulate a response that seemed appropriate.

"Auri? I didn't mean to upset you."

I shook my head, "You didn't upset me. I just don't understand you, Greg. We were doing so well in San Diego and then you treated me like I didn't exist at the airport. Now, after all this time, you care about me?"

"Auri, you live in San Diego! What was I supposed to do? We're on opposite sides of a continent. I'm not good at local relationships, even worse when the person isn't around."

I sat down in a chair, stunned. "Why didn't you tell me this? I thought you had suddenly gone off of me."

"Why do women think that it's them? It's me…my concern that I couldn't make you happy."

"I didn't ask you to make me happy." I realized that this was not the time or place to talk about our relationship. "Greg, Furey is in New York. I'm going to go. You already know that this is the best option. I'll be fine; I'm going to be surrounded by ATF guys. Now, I brought you in here, because I'm going to talk to Furey and if he needed to connect with you, it would be better in here."

I closed my eyes. _Furey? Honey, are you there?_

_Yeah, I'm here. I'm in a room, like a hotel room. They bought me a McDonald's Happy Meal. I guess they must thing I'm some baby or something._

I chuckled. _Now listen to me. You're going to be taken to a meeting tonight. The people buying the guns from your kidnappers want you to read the minds of the buyers. They're going to threaten you by saying they'll do something to your father. But your father is safe with me and the FBI…so don't let them scare you. When you are asked about the buyers, please tell them that the buyers are not ATF, police or law enforcement. Tell them that they are European gunbuyers. Do you understand honey?_

_Is my Dad really with you?_

_Yes, he is. You can contact him now. He' right here._

I felt him leave my mind and I saw House grab the arm of the chair and look down. His eyes were sad, almost teary. He was clearly talking to his father and Greg was talking to him. I could feel Greg's worry and love pouring out of every pore. I couldn't help it; I listened in at the end.

_Listen to Auri; don't do anything foolish… No, don't worry about me. Yes, she's taking good care of me. .. Yes, we're getting along well…No, you moron, I haven't asked her to marry me. Contrary to popular belief, you don't marry someone after knowing them a few weeks…Yes, I like her, but don't worry about that right now…just worry about getting back to us. Listen to Auri…I love you too. I need for you to listen to Auri…yes, pumpkin, I can't wait until you're home. We'll take Wilson, Jennifer and Auri out for dinner. You bet. Furey, be careful. I love you. Bye._

He looked up at me and nodded. I smiled and connected with Furey.

_Okay, honey. Hopefully this will all be over tonight and you'll be home with your Dad._

_Auri, my Dad says he is getting along well with you. Maybe he'll ask you to marry him soon._

My heart raced, I didn't want to encourage him, but I also didn't want him to be sad and distracted. _Oh, honey. You don't ask someone to marry you that quickly. It's not something you do without a lot of thought. I like your Dad a lot, but we aren't quite ready to start talking about marriage, okay?_

I could feel that he was disappointed. _I will say this. He kissed me last night. And I really liked it._

That lifted his spirits.

_So he kissed you? That's good isn't it?_

_Very good. Your Dad is a good kisser._

I heard him laugh to himself.

_Okay, Furey, I have to go now. But, if you need me just yell. I will talk to you and keep you informed, okie dokie?_

_Okay , Auri. Give my Dad a kiss for me! I love you Auri._

My heart squeezed tight._ Oh honey, I knew the minute I saw you that I loved you. You take care. Hang on. Bye._

_Bye._

I turned to Greg who was searching my face, wondering if I was still connected to Furey. I shook my head.

"I told him goodbye so that I could get ready for tonight. He's very strong, very ready, Greg. He's going to do great."

"I'm not a high school freshman. I don't need a pep talk. I know how dangerous this is."

I bent down and tilted my head for a kiss. He had to meet my lips part of the way. I didn't think he would at first, but he did. He reached up and pulled my neck down to kiss me again.

"Thank you for risking your life for my son."

"Well, for Furey, it's easy." I smiled and we went into the larger conference room. Greg insisted he go to and we all laughed.

"Greg, this isn't television. We don't take civilians. You'll stay here. We'll keep you posted here, but you _aren't going._" I was firm as I could be.

He searched my eyes, trying to figure out if there was wiggle room, but he quickly resigned himself to the idea that he wasn't going anywhere.

**Dear Readers, I received another review from South Wales...one of the prettiest places you can visit. Lots of castles and gorgeous views of very green valleys. I remember getting lost on our way to visit some caves and finding ourselves on a hill overlooking the most breathtaking valley you could imagine! Your reviews, telling me where you are from, have triggered a lot of wonderful memories. Thanks for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Furey's Worry**

I was really scared, so I tried to concentrate on picking up anything that would help us. Throughout the day, I worked hard to pick up information. The kidnappers were thinking about an area in a warehouse section by the wharf. The guns were already in the area, about a block from the meeting area. I didn't know if that would be important so I told Auri. She said that it was very important, keep up the good work.

I could feel her anxiety. She was really taking an emotional beating. I know, because I've been there before. It's hard sometimes when you're emotionally involved and so is everyone around you. When she let me talk to Dad, I asked him if he was going to marry her. He said it was too early, but underneath the words, I could feel that he was confused. He didn't want to get married again. He wanted it to be just us two. But, he also had these feelings for Auri and he wanted her to be near us. I figured that there was an easy fix-- just marry her, then she'd have to stay with us.

At two they came in and made me stand against the wall where they took my picture. I read the guy's mind and he was thinking about some golfer named Stuart Clink. It didn't make sense, but then he reminded himself that they needed a specific type of shot, a head shot. He took a few more photos within a few minutes he left. I watched HBO in the hotel room until it was time to go. They told me to go pee and get ready. While I was in the bathroom I heard them arguing out in the room.

"No! I'm going. I have to go, the kid trusts me." The lady yelled.

"Trusts you? Like hell. You were the one who grabbed him. He doesn't trust you. We need for you to stay here and pack everything up; then you need to get down to the airport, make sure the charter is ready as soon as we get there. Now, do you have the passports?"

"I just received his. It looks pretty good. I kept his first name, Gregory. I gave him my last name so that they'll think he's my kid." She was calmer, more in control.

"Great, then you stay behind and take care of business. We'll meet you at the airport."

"Kap, don't hurt this kid. He's a good kid."

"I'm not going to hurt him. As soon as we get into Buenos Aires, I'll make arrangements for him to leave."

_Auri! Auri!_

_Furey? What honey?_

_They have a passport for me and want to take me to Buenos Aires on a chartered plane._

_Anything else?_

_The lady isn't going with us. She's going to make sure the plane is ready._

_Good Furey, good job. That's important information. Please keep listening. _

_Auri, we're getting ready to leave._

I could hear Auri think about this information._ Why are they leaving so soon? Unless they are still on the New Jersey side and need the extra time to get to the meeting place._ She turned her thoughts back to me._ You do whatever they want you to do, except tell them that the people they are meeting are not ATF. Okay?_

_Okay. Bye._

_I'm right here honey, bye._

I was so nervous I went pee again, washed my hands and went out to the room. They were standing, waiting for me.

"Let's go kid."

They didn't put a blindfold over me. They just pulled me down to a service elevator and we went down to the parking garage. They hesitated before the door opened, holding the button to keep it closed.

"Okay kid, remember we have someone watching your Dad. As long as you cooperate, he'll be okay."

This guy believed that someone was watching my Dad, but in fact, I knew my Dad was safe. I hoped that there might be someone in the garage so I could scream or something, but then I remembered that Auri told me to cooperate with them. It didn't matter, because when the door opened, the van was pulled up close to the elevator doors and I was pushed into it. There would have been no time to flag someone down.

We drove through the streets with me lying down in the back of the van, my hands and feet were tied up. I could only see the sky and tall buildings when we passed by them, nothing that looked familiar to me. I did tell Auri on occasion what I was seeing, but I could tell she wasn't familiar enough with the surroundings to know if they meant anything or not. I tried to look for words on buildings.

_Auri, there's a billboard for Campbell Soup. And… we're in a tunnel now._

I could tell that meant something because she got excited.

_Honey, I have to ask someone here who knows New York what this means, hold on._

She came back._ We think you're in the Holland Tunnel. It would make sense. They had you in New Jersey and you're crossing into New York. We're leaving now for the rendezvous. Keep me posted. Love you. Don't worry and don't try to be a hero, okay?_

_Okay. Bye._

_Bye, pumpkin._

I took in a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. _Mom, if you can hear me. I need for you to do something about these bad guys. Keep me safe, Auri too. I love you Mom._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Teagan's Kick in the Butt**

I had on full battle gear except for the helmet. I did have an earpiece and I was offered a more substantial weapon, but I thought I needed my hands free of automatic weapons to get my kid and get out of there. I wasn't there for anything more than to get Furey.

We had two vehicles, a van and a truck with eight guys, supposedly there to load the guns after the purchase. Marc and Ricky were the negotiators that would be dealing with Furey's kidnappers/gun sellers. I had on a rather bulky shirt to hide my vest and weapon, a 9ml glock. I got out with the two guys and we entered the building. My mind was like radar searching for Furey.

_Furey, baby, where are you?_

_Auri? I'm here, here!_

_Can you feel me nearby?_

_Kinda…but not real close._

_I'm getting the same impression. Hold on, we're all here. How many are with you?_

_I'm sitting here with two guys. They untied me and said that when the time comes, they're going to take me out to read the minds of some guys. Is that you getting closer?_

I listened to him as we were met at the back door next to the dock, by a rather small, but brutish looking man who eyed me with suspicion. That would be the guys I'm here with. I'll be right back. I wanted to listen into the thoughts of the guy meeting us.

_Who is this chick? What is she doing here? _

I realized I needed to do something, he was ready to balk. Marc's cover name was Gerry. "Gerry, honey, I gotta pee baby. Is there a bathroom?" I asked the guy at the door.

His brain switched gears. _This is his girlfriend? Christ, she looks like she belongs in a Disney movie. _

Marc played along, "Hey Joe, you gotta toilet for my girlfriend?"

He was clearly annoyed, "Yeah, this way." We went down several corridors of the old warehouse building as we walked towards the front. He pointed down another corridor, "Down there. When you're done, just go down the corridor until it dead ends and then turn right; you'll find us."

I nodded and started on my way, watching to see that they disappeared down the corridor and then took a right.

I listened for Furey. _Baby, where are you?_

_Here Auri. You're closer, a lot closer. They're walking me towards…turn around!!!!_

I turned around and saw Furey in the company of two men, one who had his gun drawn. My heart lept into my throat. Furey looked worried, unsure what to do. He looked taller than when I saw him just six months ago. His hair was also longer and he was looking more like his Dad. His brown hair and blue eyes were a perfect frame for his long face. I put my hand up and smiled, "I'm with Gerry, his girlfriend, just going pee!"

I could feel the guy relax. He started thinking about getting Furey into the warehouse. I pushed the door open to the bathroom as they walked by. It seemed a little awkward so I smiled and nodded, "Hi, kid. " They walked by me.

_Furey, if I tell you to run, you run. You run fast, like your life counts on it…because it does. Understand?_

_Yeah…Auri, I'm so glad to see you._

My heart started pounding. I whispered into my radio, I have Furey in sight, accompanied by two men. I have the advantage; I'm going to take them.

I knew that Marc couldn't respond because he was in negotiations in the warehouse. He had on a little receiver that looked like a telephone earpiece. It was an open mic so we could hear him in the warehouse doing the negotiations. I had to actually touch my chest if I wanted to talk into my mic.

A voice came from one of the guys on the docs, "Acknowledged Agent Ferrell, we'll send in another agent to assist."

I whispered, "Not enough time. I'm moving now before they turn into the warehouse."

I pulled my weapon and moved fast, the tall one with his weapon turned.

_Furey, run now…to your left, not to your right, left, left, left! Get out of the building, the agents will find you. _

Both of the men were now turned looking at me, while Furey hauled ass. I was very proud of him, he ran like a pro. The guys turned back to him, reaching out, but he was gone. In my earpiece I heard the warehouse erupt with several, "You're under arrest," meaning that Marc had pulled the plug, deciding that they had enough evidence and wanted it over.

I felt free to yell, "FBI! Halt or I'll shoot."

The one with his gun drawn let his gun drop and put his hands up. The other took off, the same way that Furey had taken off, down the left corridor. Another agent came up behind me and I almost shot the SOB because he failed to identify himself. I turned and when I saw it was one of us, rolled my eyes and took off after the guy who had run. I didn't want him getting Furey and using him as a shield.

I ran as fast as I could, my mind reaching out for Furey. _Furey, watch out for that short guy, he's running in your direction. Where are you?_

_I hit a locked door. I have to double back the way I came!_

_No! Honey, find a place to hide, is there a place to hide?_

_There's some boxes and equipment._

_Hide behind it; I'm coming. Did you run straight? _

_No the doors were locked at the end of the hall, I had to go down a short set of stairs to the right. You can't go any other way._

_Okay, hide._

_Auri, I hear him. He's close._

_Hide!_

I tried to pick up my pace, but my 31 inch legs wouldn't go any faster. I was frantic. How could I ever explain to Greg that I had Furey in my reach and I let him get hurt? I realized I had just run past the stairs. I went back and took them three at a time. I could feel Furey and he was scared, but he wasn't panicked. I figured that he was well hidden or he would be more frightened. I let my mind search for the other guy.

_Where's the kid? If I can find the kid, I can use him and get out of here. Where's the kid? Christ, she's here. There…just a couple more steps and I can get her._

I stopped and crouched, realizing that I was being silhouetted against the light in the hall behind me, giving him a clear shot.

_Fuck! Where did she go? Forget her, find the kid, find the kid._

I was worried. I'm an okay shot, not the best, not the worst. But everyone knows that when you're in the heat of battle, the odds of you actually hitting your mark is about 20% unless you're close enough. That's why we go for body shots, bigger chance of taking someone down. I traveled along the wall in a crouched position until I was as far in the back as I could get before my path was blocked by some equipment.

_Is that the kid there? Nah, it's a sack of coal. Crap. _

He was much closer to me than before. I stood up and looked. I could see he was about twenty feet to my right. I looked around and stopped in my tracks. I could see Furey from my angle and he was about ten feet from the guy under a machine. I knew the guy was going to find him.

_Furey, get ready to get up and run back the way you came. I'm sure that there are some agents looking for us. When you do run, identify yourself loudly._

I watched the guy take another five feet, searching under the equipment.

_Marc! Marc! It's Auri. I'm sending Furey to you. We're downstairs. Come and get him now! I have a perp with a gun. _

Marc asked, _Auri? Downstairs? _

_West side of the building, hurry._

_Okay._

_Don't shoot my kid._

_I won't. Be careful._

I switched back to Furey. _Furey, I'm going to make a noise to distract him. You need to climb out the opposite way and run the long way around, understand?_

_Okay!_

I banged a piece of equipment softly with my foot. It was just enough; he turned and ducked behind a steel box. Furey climbed out and started running again; even though it was the long way around, the direction he was running gave him more cover. The guy caught a glimpse of him and started after him.

I jumped out from my spot, "FBI! Put your weapon down."

The guy turned and I could see he was pulling the trigger. I knew this was it. I was about to shoot my gun for only the fourth time in my career. I felt my finger bring back the trigger just as the hot lava seared through me. I heard my gun, but wasn't sure if I had gotten the round off before I was hit.

I could do nothing more. My body was flat on the ground. The short man walked up to me and aimed the gun at my head. My only thought was that at least Furey was alive. I was comforted by that thought until I saw Furey, standing behind the man with a metal pipe. I saw the man's finger start to pull. But there was no sound, instead I barely caught a glimpse of the pipe flying through the air and the dull, heavy thud as the pipe connected with the man's head. I saw nothing more; I lost my connection with this world.

The wind and light hit me, made my hair and clothes fly, but I couldn't feel it. I was floating above an ambulance. I could see the red cross on the top and the call numbers, 12NY784. I looked around and saw the van with a portable blue light on top of it chasing the ambulance through the streets.

I felt happy. I had no worries, no feelings of dread or self-doubts. I wasn't hot, I wasn't cold. I was free. I swooped down and through the roof of the ambulance into chaos. The paramedic was screaming, the machine was flatlined. I was staring at me on the gurney, the paramedic pushing on my chest, blood covering everything.

"I've lost her! I've lost her. Chris' sake, what's our ETA?"

The driver yelled back, "Less than a minute. Keep doing chest compressions."

"I think her lung collapsed."

"J.C. just keep the chest compressions going."

"Okay."

I left the ambulance and floated into the van. Marc was inside along with Ricky. They were silent. In the back was Furey, crying.

"I can't hear her. I can't hear her thoughts. Oh, I want my Dad." He sounded like he was drowning in phlegm and tears.

I tried to touch him, but couldn't. I didn't feel sad, or worried, or anything but happy. I wanted him to be happy too. I was about to try to touch him again when I was pulled, like a vortex, into the ambulance and my body.

"I've got a pulse, it's weak, but I've got one," the paramedic yelled.

I didn't feel, see or hear anything again until later when I started floating again. I was in an operating room. I floated up to the ceiling and looked down. The area around my heart was opened up and I could see it wasn't beating. I felt like I was swimming in the air, floating with ease. The monitors had that high whine of a flat line. I flew up and out of the room. I saw Furey in the waiting room, the television on, his face streaked with the tracks of dried tears. I heard a commotion down the corridor. Furey jumped up and ran out the door. Greg was flying as fast as his cane would carry him. They collided together like atoms, the force almost knocking them both off their feet. I could hardly see Furey, his father's arms were wrapped safely around his entire body. Greg was crying, like a child. I saw Furey pull his face out from his Dad's chest. He was crying too. Everyone in the area was crying. I felt happy. But then, I already felt happy.

I left them holding each other tight, clinging on to each other like twisted wires. I floated and floated up and out of the hospital at a rapid pace. I watched as it all looked like a scene from Google Earth. I got higher and things grew smaller on the ground. I was so high I could no longer make out anything on earth but colors. I tumbled and twisted and ended up in the lemon yellow light of a cloudy mist. It cleared and I felt even more content, more blessed, more loved, more at peace. I saw someone coming towards me…floating.

It was Teagan, smiling, gorgeous, enveloped in light and cloud. She was shaking her head.

"Teags! Oh Teags, it's you! You're okay. Isn't this wonderful? Isn't this glorious." I cried out.

She nodded, "But Auri, you have to go back. You have so much to go back for now."

"No, I'm happy here. I think I'll stay."

She smiled and floated like a cotton-candy Goddess. "Oh honey, you can't. My boys need you. I picked you. I picked you to take care of them. You're going to go back."

"Take care of your boys? I saved Furey, he's with his Dad."

"But, there's so much more for you to do."

"Greg doesn't want to get married."

"Maybe, but who knows what will happen? You need to go back. You need to teach Furey so much."

"You go back. I'm happy here."

She chuckled, "I can't. I'm very dead. You still have one foot left on the platform dear. Now, be a good girl and go back. They need you, I picked you. I picked you."

I heard her say it over and over as I was sucked again into my body. I heard the collective sigh of the surgical team, the ping pong sound of the monitor and then I heard nothing.

**Dear Readers: Gosh, just had someone from Bend, Oregon and Australia leave reviews! Thanks for the reviews, they encourage me to keep writing!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter I7**

**Confused**

My Dad and I sat in the plastic seats waiting for the surgeons to come out and tell us something, anything about Auri. At first I couldn't feel her thoughts and that scared me. Then I heard her talking to my mother in her head. I couldn't hear anyone but her. But, she was convinced in her mind that she was talking to my mother.

I could feel Dad's relief and his anxiety, "Dad, I heard Auri thinking. She's talking to Mom."

He narrowed his eyes, "I don't understand."

"I don't either, Dad."

"But, at least you heard her thinking. That's good. It means that she's alive."

I nodded, he was right. It meant she was alive.

Dad took a call from Uncle Jimmy while I watched for the surgeons. I could feel their anxiety and concern about Auri. The surgeon doing most of the work was cussing about a bleeder and problems with her lung collapsing. He was done and now I could hear how much he dreaded coming out to talk to my Dad.

_Why is House still here? He has his son back, why doesn't he go home? He wants a word with me when I'm done here? Why? I had to put up with his crap at Hopkins, not again. I hate the son of a bitch._

The surgeon was coming; his thoughts were getting louder as he came nearer.

"Dad, the surgeon is coming and he hates your guts."

My Dad looked at me with amusement, "Wilson, I have to go. Apparently, the surgeon is on his way." He flipped his phone shut and smiled at me. The doors flew open and I could feel my Dad's amusement level increase as he saw the surgeon. He knew him. "Marty, how is she?"

"House." The surgeon stopped, sweat rings under his arms, blood on his shirt. He took his hat off and looked at me, "Is this your son?"

My Dad said nothing, but smiled warmly at me.

"He looks just like you, handsome lad. Agent Ferrell is out of surgery and in recovery." He turned to leave.

My Dad burst into anger, "_That's it?" _He took steps towards the surgeon's back, "_I want to know what you did in there."_

The surgeon thought he had the upper hand and was enjoying it, "Sorry House, Hippa laws. All I can say is that she's out of surgery and in recovery."

My Dad was going to start cussing the guy out. I stepped in, "Doctor, I know she bled a lot on the table. You lost her several times; had a hard time bringing her back and her lung collapsed. You re-inflated it, right? She's lost a lot of blood and you're very worried that she will get pneumonia Dr. Feder, my Dad knows that you drink a lot. You're sober now, but sometimes you do surgeries while you're drunk. So, please, take care of Agent Ferrell, she means a lot to us and she's going to marry my Dad."

I could tell that Dr. Fedder was shocked both by what I had said and the fact that Auri was going to marry my Dad. My Dad was even more shocked when I said that he was going to marry Auri, and he showed it. He was staring, wide-eyed, at me. They told me that my mom could read the future. I can too, but it's hard with people I'm close to. I hadn't really read the future about Auri and my Dad, but my Dad didn't know that. He couldn't tell that I was making it up.

Dad sputtered a little, "He's joking of course…about the marriage. But he's right about everything else." He smiled like a devil, "Auri is important to us and we'd be—"Dad narrowed his eyes, "grateful-- if you would let us know her prognosis."

The surgeon was really mad at me and more at my Dad. He shook his head and growled, "Ask your son."

"Marty, play nice."

The surgeon sneered, "The bullet caught her just under her arm where there was no vest, penetrating tissue, nicking the heart and hitting the lung. She's lucky to be alive; she's a real fighter. Truth is, I don't know her prognosis. The bleeders have been stopped, the lung re-inflated, but I am worried about Septicemia and Pneumonia. "

My Dad said nothing for what seemed the longest time. Then he stuck his lower lip out, "Fair enough."

The surgeon left and my Dad ruffled my hair, "Marry her? You're jerking my chain, aren't you?"

I didn't say anything, but he could read my face.

"Furey, I know what you want. But, you're Dad is too old to get into another marriage. This old dog doesn't know how to put the seat down. Auri deserves a man who will put the seat down. Do you know what I mean?"

I shook my head.

"Look, for now, we just need to work on getting Auri back home, so we can make sure she gets better."

***********************************

My Dad worked his evil magic and within two days, Auri was being transported by helicopter to Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, to the delight of Dr. Martin Fedder. She was passed into the hands of someone my Dad, although he hated to it admit out loud, trusted, Dr. Robert Chase. I liked Uncle Chase, he was the coolest doctor at the hospital. He used to date Allison Cameron, but she dumped him for a guy who looked like my Dad. Uncle Chase was sad for awhile, but he started seeing a former actress who was now attending Princeton and doing really well in school, so she must have been pretty bright. She was so hot even my Dad was envious. Dad once said to me, "Chase is livin' the dream."

Uncle Chase gave me a hug, "Golly, mate, you had us all worried. I'm glad to see you're all in one piece."

"I'd be dead if it weren't for Auri. Please take good care of her. She's going to marry my Dad."

Uncle Chase's mouth dropped, "Furey, I'll try really hard to make her better for you and your Dad. Are you okay with your Dad marrying her?" He was genuinely worried. Wondering why any woman would want to marry my Dad; he was afraid that she was money hungry.

I laughed, "Auri's awesome. I love her. My Dad loves her too. That's why he's going to marry her."

Uncle Chase believed me because he had no trouble believing in my abilities. He was certain that I had inherited superhuman powers to see the future, read minds and teleport objects. He had two out of three right.

I went up to the intensive care where Auri was recuperating. I could feel her thoughts. They were very strange. She was on the Enterprise and Dad was in Dr. McCoy's uniform with a really cool future-looking cane. Auri was in the captain's chair wearing the captain's uniform. She went down to sick bay and let my Dad give her an exam. But he wasn't using a medical scanner, he was using his hands and she must have been in pain. She was moaning. My Dad was touching her where he shouldn't be, but she didn't stop him, I guess because he's a doctor. She reached up and kissed him and he kissed her back. She took his shirt off and he was trying to take hers off when I felt a huge jolt of pain come from where Auri had been shot. The image of my Dad was gone and the image of the guy shooting her and standing over her body came into view. I saw the monitor inside the room start to fluctuate wildly and the staff started to take notice. I sent visions of San Diego to her. I showed her in a wedding dress walking along Seaport Village with us, my Dad and I both in suits. I wasn't sure what to do with her in a wedding dress, so I just had her walk and walk and walk. The staff was about to adjust her medication, but the sounds from the monitor calmed and within a few minutes they were back to normal.

They wouldn't let me in to see her. I had to wait for my Dad to join me and break the rules. He came up a few minutes later and took a look at me, "What are you doing out here? Why aren't you in with Auri?"

I pointed to the sign, _Children Under 16 Must Be Accompanied by an Adult._

He chuckled, "Like that applies to you. Come on."

We went inside and I wish I hadn't gotten that close. She looked really bad. Her face was sunken, purple rings around her eyes, her lips cracked. My Dad took out his scopes and stethoscopes. I touched her hand and could feel an instant connection. The monitor showed her heart beating faster.

My Dad looked at me, "Did you do that?"

I nodded, "She can feel my thoughts. We connected."

"Can you talk to her?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I'll try." _Auri? It's Furey, are you awake? My Dad and I want to say hi. We miss you and want you to get better to come home._

There was no response, but the heartbeat, which had gone back to normal, went up again.

_Auri, I'm fine, you saved my life. My Dad and I brought you back from New York to Princeton. We're going to make sure you're taken care of. My Dad is here, can you feel him?_

There was still no response, except I had a vague feeling of someone trying to make their way through a fog. She was having problems concentrating. I turned to Dad and shook my head, "She's still having problems communicating."

Dad nodded, "Let's get going. We'll come back tomorrow."

On the way home, I told Dad about my dream. He smiled to himself, "So, I had my hand up her top and on her breast giving her an exam?"

"Yeah, I guess it was an exam. You were in sick bay and she was on one of those tables with the monitors over it. But you started to lay down with her and she was in pain."

"Pain?"

"Moaning. 'Ohhhh, God…ohhhh, Dr. House."

He burst out laughing, "Do you know what a wet dream is?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe."

Dad cleared his throat, "Adolescents and men have sex dreams during the night. The dreams trigger an ejaculation. Do you know what an ejaculation is?"

"Yeah, a guy squirts semen into the woman's vagina."

He bobbed his head, "Yes and no, the man squirts semen, but he doesn't have to be inside the woman's vagina. He can play with himself and squirt, have someone jerk his willy and squirt or he can have a wet dream…wet because he ejaculates during the dream. Well, women have wet dreams too, but obviously they don't ejaculate. But they can have an orgasm."

I could feel his amusement at the idea of Auri having a wet dream, "What's an orgasm?"

"The best thing in life."

"You always say a glass of Talisker is the best thing in life."

"I lied. An orgasm is. It's the driving force in the Universe."

"What is it?"

"When two people have sex in the movies, you know how in the end they jerk and moan and look like they've been shot?"

I knew what he was talking about. We watched a lot of movies and Dad didn't do a very good job at filtering them for ratings. Uncle Jimmy wouldn't let me watch anything over PG13, but Dad was different in that respect.

"Yeah?"

"Orgasms happen when all your nerve signals have been stimulated and your body wants to ejaculate. Ejaculating feels good, so good you want to do it over and over. That's why we have such a strong desire to go out and have sex, it feels really good."

We were silent for awhile. He wanted to ask me a question, but was a little embarrassed, "So, did Auri have an orgasm?"

I thought about it, how nice it felt when Dad was touching her in the dream, "It all felt good and exciting, but I had the feeling like it wasn't finished. The dream switched to the guy shooting Auri before it felt really good."

My Dad nodded.

"Dad, can Auri come and live with us when she gets out of the hospital?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there. She may want to go home."

**************************

I went to the hospital to see Auri every day for the next five days that she was in a coma. She did develop a fever, but Uncle Chase was right on top of it. Every day I would send her pictures of her and Dad getting married, walking around after the wedding. I'd make up stories about her being married to my Dad and living with us. We'd all be living in the Townhouse and Auri would be my new Mom. I showed us all going to Disney World together and I even made up a wedding ring for her finger. There was nothing else to do in her room, so I thought I'd make up stories for her. I didn't realize that in her condition, she was absorbing these stories like a sponge and they were seeping into who she was.

She woke up on the sixth day. Uncle Chase told my Dad that the FBI had arranged for her to be transferred to Bethesda, Maryland, to recuperate at the Naval Hospital Rehabilitation Center for the next month. I panicked.

"Dad, she's going to leave and we won't see her! You can't let her go."

He shook his head, "Furey, Auri is an adult with responsibilities. I can't make her stay."

I was so angry with him. Once again he wasn't trying, "_Yes you can! You just don't want us to be happy!" _I ran into her room and held her hand.

Auri tried to lift her head, but couldn't. Her face was covered with a smile and her eyes looked so kind, "Furey! Honey, how are you? Where's your Dad?" She held out a hand to pull me in to give her a kiss. I kissed her cheek, she squeezed my hand.

"He's outside. They want to send you to Bethesda, wherever that is."

She nodded, "About an hour and a half from here. But I need to get home. You have your science project to do and I need to make sure everything is spelled right."

One of my projections had been of her helping me with my science fair project, "I'll tell Dad you want to come home with us."

She chuckled, but it obviously hurt when she did, "Of course I have to go with you. I need to get home and get better. How's Moron?"

"He's at Uncle Jimmy's." In my stories that I fed her, Moron was living with the three of us.

She was surprised, "Uncle Jimmy's, why?"

"So we could come and see you whenever we wanted."

"Well, don't worry, once I'm a little better, he can come home."

I felt a little nervous about the conversation. I thought she was teasing me, playing a practical joke because of all of my projections. I was about to say something to her when my Dad came in.

She smiled brightly, "Hi, honey." Once again she held out a hand.

My Dad hesitated briefly, but then went over to her bed. She pulled him like she had pulled me, giving him a brief kiss on his lips. Dad took it in stride.

She sighed, "How long have I been out?"

"A little over ten days. You developed pneumonia. You had us worried. But you should be able to be moved out of the hospital tomorrow."

"Good, I need to get home."

"San Diego?"

She gave him a look as if she knew he was pulling her leg, "Honey, I want to go home to the townhouse. I need to help Furey with his science project and Moron needs to come home from Wilson's. We could get a nurse's assistant to come in and help. Do I really need to go to Bethesda for rehabilitation?"

My Dad thought for a second, "Not really. You could get by with a nursing assistant stopping in to help. Which reminds me, you need to get up and get moving as soon as possible to exercise your lungs and legs.

"Okay, but you go tell the doctors that I'm going home with you and Furey."

My Dad was going to say something, but he felt as if he owed Auri my life and if taking care of her at our home was what she wanted, then he'd do it. "Alright, I'll be back."

************************************

My Dad arranged for a hospital bed to be brought in and placed in the bedroom next to mine. It was on the second floor and I was worried about Auri getting up the steps. Auri was walking a few steps at a time with the aid of crutches

"Dad, will Auri be able to make it up the steps?"

He nodded, "She'll probably have to stop and start, but she should be okay. She's healing well."

I wasn't convinced, but when they brought her home from the hospital I was so excited, I could feel my heart pounding. The transport service brought her into the house in a wheelchair. The orderly stopped by the front door, put down the brakes and then gave us all a goodbye. My Dad wheeled her into the living room. She gave me the biggest hug and kiss.

"I missed you so much in that hospital."

I was so happy I gave her a big sloppy kiss, "Welcome home."

She looked around and seem puzzled, "I have only the sketchiest memory of the house."

My Dad cocked his head; he looked just as puzzled, "Well the last time you saw it the FBI was all over…"

I interrupted, "Dad! We forgot her present!"

Dad looked up, "Okay, Auri, can you walk?"

She nodded, "A little."

"You have to get up the stairs to the bedroom so save some of your energy. In the meantime, come with me."

I helped Auri get up on crutches. She needed them more to rest than to actually walk. She was still pretty weak. We walked into the dining room. Auri turned to Dad.

"You know honey, we need to paint this room. I was thinking a nice light beige with white trim."

My Dad looked at Auri with his brow wrinkled, almost as if she had just spoken in tongues. "I'll keep that in mind."

We went on through to the kitchen. Inside on the table was a cake, "_Welcome Home Auri."_ She smiled and kissed the top of my head. She went over hugged my Dad and kissed his cheek, "It's good to be home."

My Dad gave her a rather weak smile and looked at me, eyes narrowed, as if Auri was acting strange and he knew I had something to do with it. We ate cake and then watched television. Auri made me bring her the science fair project information. We worked on it for a few minutes and then she fell asleep on the couch. My Dad covered her up with an afghan. I could feel his affection for her when he did this. I liked it when my Dad was warm and fuzzy like Uncle Jimmy. It made me love him even more.

"Do you know what's going on?" Dad asked me.

Since I really wasn't sure, I shook my head, "Not really, Dad. I'm just happy to have her here. Aren't you?"

"Furey, she's not a pet. We can't just pick her up, get her spayed and take her home. Auri eats a lot more than Moron, we can't afford her."

I pretended to sneer at my Dad, "She's housebroken Dad and she'd look real good at the foot of your bed."

Dad laughed. I could see an image of a naked Auri laying at the foot of his bed in his mind.

"Dad? You've had sex with Auri, haven't you?"

My Dad blushed! He rubbed his forehead like he does when he wants to lie to me, but can't because I'll know. "Yes, we've had sex. Why?"

"Cause you imagine her naked a lot."

"Get out of my head! I've told you before Furey, it's not polite."

I was upset with his assumption, "You were broadcasting it Dad. I didn't have to get in your head; you broadcasted a naked Auri at the bottom of your bed, curled up on the floor like Moron does at Uncle Jimmy's house."

My Dad grinned and nodded, "Okay, I'll try not to do it again. But, _stay out of my head!"_

"Yes, sir."

Auri slept most of the day, but when she woke up she had to go to the bathroom. Dad was at the grocery store, so I had to help her, "Furey, take me upstairs. I want a shower too."

We went upstairs, taking each step slowly and deliberately. Every three steps we stopped for Auri to catch her breath and rest. We made it after a good fifteen minutes. I was trying to steer her into the office that we used as a guest room when Grandmom came out to visit. It had her things and the medical bed in it; but, she went straight for Dad's room. When we got inside, she sat down on the bed, trying to catch her breath.

Looking into the closet and seeing only Dad's stuff she asked, "Furey, where's all my stuff?"

I panicked, "Spring Cleaning, it's in the other room. What do you need?"

"Clean panties and a nightgown."

I ran into the guest room. Grandma kept some clothes here so I pulled out some underwear and a gown from the drawers, running back to Auri. She took the panties and held them up with her nose wrinkled. She studied them as if they were a new species of animal.

"Have I lost that much weight?"

I nodded, "Quite a bit."

"Well, they'll have to do. Go get me a big trash can bag."

I didn't know what she wanted it for, but I ran down and got her a big, black trash bag from the cellar. She tore a piece out wide enough on the seams to put her head and arms through. She put the trash bag on and then went in, ran the shower, then closed the door behind her.

"I'll wait out here so if you need anything."

I heard her from in the shower, "Fine. But, so far so good."

The door opened downstairs and Dad yelled, "Furey, Auri?"

"Upstairs Dad."

I could hear him put groceries away and then he made his way up the stairs. He looked in the bathroom first and then the guest room. He finally saw me in his room. Coming down the hall, the door opened and out walked Auri in the trash bag, nothing else on. It came down her thigh, so we didn't see anything we shouldn't. But she looked funny in this trash bag and wet hair.

She smiled at my Dad who looked so confused I almost felt sorry for him. "Hi honey, I just had to get a shower and wash my hair. I didn't get my stitches wet or anything." She pulled on the trash bag proudly. "Furey, could you fetch me my slippers?"

I ran down the hall and could hear my Dad ask, "Why didn't you take a shower in the other bathroom?"

"Because I thought my shampoo was in here, but it wasn't. Did you throw it out?"

I ran back in with my grandmother's heel-less slippers. She looked at them, shook her head and went back into the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later in a long gown, down to her knees and falling off her small shoulders. The slippers were way too big, but she said nothing. She walked over and pulled the covers back on Dad's bed, slipped into the bed and pulled the covers up.

My Dad had gone downstairs when Auri had gone into the bathroom to dress. He came back up with her pill and water, looking in the guest room again, "Where the hell is she?" He came down the hall.

Auri was already asleep, tired from her trip up the stairs. Dad took one look at her lying quietly on his pillow and said nothing. I could feel that he felt the same thing I did. She was really pretty lying there, peaceful, too comfortable to wake. I could feel his affection swell up like a wave as he watched her sleep, her hand up on the pillow next to her face.

He whispered, "Come on, I'll move her later."

But Dad didn't move her. That night we took her a tray of food and sat eating with her in bed, watching television on Dad's flat screen. When she was done she went to the bathroom, came back and crawled into bed. Dad said nothing. She patted the pillow and I climbed up, put my head on her good shoulder and we watched a movie. I fell asleep and Dad had to wake me to go to my own room. I gave Auri a kiss on her cheek and went to get ready for bed. I crawled in bed and it dawned on me. This is what it would have been like if my Mom had lived.

************************

The next morning was Sunday and Dad rarely got up before 10 am on Sundays. I tiptoed down the hall and found Dad and Auri both on their sides, but Dad had an arm over Auri and his nose was in her hair. They were on Dad's side of the bed so I crawled up on Auri's side and lay down. They both opened their eyes and looked at me with my head on the pillow staring back. Everyone smiled at the same time. I felt this wave of love coming from them at me. Auri reached out and touched my cheek. Dad pulled away from Auri and sat up. He went to the bathroom. I was a little sad; I wished we could have all stayed like that for at least a few minutes. It made me feel safe and calm.

"Hi, Pumpkin. Did you sleep well?"

I nodded. "Auri, do you think you could play a game of chess with me?'

"Maybe later honey; you need to get out and play outside with your friends."

I winced, "There's no one around here my age. I have to go to Uncle Jimmy's to do that."

She looked puzzled, as if she should know that. "Really? Hmmm. I had forgotten that. Okay, we'll see about a game of chess. But maybe your Dad could take you out and play."

_"Dad?"_

She giggled, "What's so strange about that?"

"Dad doesn't go outside and play much."

My Dad came back in, grabbed some clean clothes and started to walk back to the bathroom.

Auri looked up at him, "Greg, we have to move."

My Dad stopped in his tracks, turned around and shook his head, "What? What are you talking about?'

"Furey needs kids to play with and a big back yard or at least a nearby park. This place is close to the hospital, but it's not kid friendly."

"Uh, right…I'll get right on that. I'll call the real estate agent tomorrow."

I picked up on the sarcasm in his voice, but apparently Auri didn't. It went right over her head. When Dad came out, Auri and I were sitting up in the bed playing cards. He snickered.

"You guys are pretty bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning. Madam, what type of cereal would you like?" He did a slight bow to Auri.

"What do we have?"

"Frosted wheat, cocoa puffs and Kashi left over from when Mom was here."

"Frosted Wheat."

He went down and about twenty minutes later he called me down. He had a tray ready to go up to Auri with cereal, coffee and orange juice along with a pill. "Take it up Dude, and be careful."

I took it up to her, making sure I didn't spill a single drop. I gave it to her with a smile, but she was upset, looking around the bed and table. "What's wrong Auri?"

She had a frantic look in her eye, "I've lost my wedding ring! I can't find it! Did we leave it at the hospital?"

I could see how anxious she was not to have a wedding ring and I knew then that, for some reason, she had absorbed my projections as being real. She looked as if she was close to crying so I ran to my Dad's drawer. When I get bored, I look through my Dad's things. I found a box once; it had a really pretty ring in it, a diamond ring. It looked like a wedding ring to me. I grabbed it.

"It's here Auri! We had to take it off when you went into surgery."

She took a deep breath and let it out. Smiling like a kid on Christmas, she opened up the box, grabbed the ring and slipped it on her ring finger. It was slightly big, "Oh dear, I've lost so much weight that the ring is too big; I'll lose it. Honey, put it away and when I need it, I'll put it on."

I put the ring back. Dad came into the room and sat in the easy chair, his legs up on the ottoman.

"Furey, open the drapes, we need to get some light in here." Auri said.

I went over and pulled the drapes back causing everyone to squint. The room lit up and I could see Auri was looking a lot better. My Dad's room is brown and blue, kind of dark usually. He doesn't let too much light in which may account for his ill humor.

I looked around and smiled at them; we were a family.


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

**Ignorant Wedded Bliss**

I could feel how happy Furey was having me home. Greg wasn't so sure about it. I was having trouble reading thoughts, probably as a result of the injuries and drugs. I was picking up waves of emotion, but thoughts were completely muddled. This happened sometimes when I was really sick or exceptionally tired. I could hear Furey when he spoke directly to me, but for now, that was all I was receiving.

Feeling a little more energetic, I thought I should get up and walk around a little to keep my lungs from getting congested and ending up with pneumonia again. I finished the game with Furey and then looked over at Greg who was reading the newspaper in the chair.

"Greg, you need to take Furey out and throw a ball or something."

He gave me one of those, "are you nuts?" looks. "Have you forgotten I'm a cripple? Besides, who died and made you his Mom?"

I smiled, "Teagan." I knew he wouldn't understand my vision of Teagan sending me back. He wasn't amused. In fact, I could feel that my answer had pissed him off. "Honey, I'm sorry. I just meant that he's been cooped up in a hospital most nights with me."

"His choice, not mine. I wanted to take him to Uncle Jimmy's."

Furey looked glum, "Uncle Jimmy is feeling weird about having me over, afraid that I'm going to be kidnapped again."

I reached over and patted his hand, noting that his fingers had to be longer than mine and he was only nine, "He's right to be concerned. You need to be vigilant. You have something that the government and others are going to want from you. Now that they know about your talents, they're going to want to put you in a program. I'm not too worried about them taking you away, your Dad will make mince meat of them, but you need a good lawyer to make sure they don't trample on your civil rights." I turned to Greg, "Do you know a good Civil Rights lawyer?"

Greg looked flustered, "Yeah, why?"

"You should ask them to come over and talk to us sometime."

"I'll call tomorrow and see what she says. Furey take the tray down."

He picked up the tray and went downstairs.

"Greg, you can still catch and toss a ball; you could make Furey run after it if he doesn't throw it right. If that doesn't work, go rowing or kayaking. You both need to get out and do something together."

He glared at me, "Furey and I do just fine. He wanted to stay close to you this weekend." He shifted and gave me a smirk, "Why, I don't know."

"Well, why don't we go out to a park then? I could sit and you two could…do what you do in a park. I'd like to get outside."

He exhaled out of frustration with me, but stood up and started to walk out of the room.

"Greg?"

He stopped and looked down at me. I motioned with my index finger to come closer. He leaned in so I could whisper. I gave him a kiss on his lips. He jerked back.

I laughed, "Come on; please don't be mad at me. I don't mean to drive you nuts."

"Oh yes, you do." He almost smiled and left.

I convinced him that we should get out of the house. I went into the guest bedroom, saw the medical bed and laughed. Why he thought I'd want to sleep in there, I didn't understand. I decided that I would call and get the bed taken away on Monday. I found my travel suitcase, which was packed with clothes, most of which were dirty. I called for Furey and he took them down to the washer and put them in for me. I found a pair of black jersey slacks and a nice warm red sweater, socks and my black shoes. I went downstairs by myself only to find a very angry Greg.

"You should have called for one of us. What if you fell?"

"But I didn't. I want to go somewhere, even if it's just for a drive…maybe a picnic.'

Greg rolled his eyes. "I have journals to read."

"Bring them along. You have a son and he spends way too much time in his computer world. Now, make up a picnic lunch and let's go.'

He skulked off into the kitchen where I heard banging and mumbling. He put the wheelchair in the trunk which made me feel like an invalid. We piled into the car and drove to a park with a large glassy pond, playground and a large expanse of grass. I refused to sit in it, instead walking across the grass with my crutches so Greg didn't bother taking the wheelchair out of the back. I noticed that Furey was carrying two baseball mitts.

We had a Greg House picnic. The basket had two beers, one bottle of water, one coke, three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread, three bags of potato chips and three candy bars. I chuckled. It was a very pretty day outside and I watched as Furey stared at the playground and the kids climbing the wood-framed jungle gym.

Greg threw his keys on the blanket where I was sitting, "Hand me a beer."

"Yes, master." I handed him a beer.

He grabbed a mitt and the baseball, walked about twenty yards away and motioned for Furey to grab a mitt. Furey ran as fast as he could back to get his mitt. I could feel how excited he was to be playing with his father. It was as if he was a bottle of champagne about to explode, all bubbly and happy. Swigging back the beer, Greg belched so loud that the family several yards away from us laughed. He put his beer and cane down by a tree and then hobbled out to a clearing. Furey waited for his Dad to throw the ball. Greg looked handsome in his Ray Bans, t-shirt, long-sleeved shirt and Levis. It was slightly chilly, but still a nice autumn day. There were leaves on the ground and it was the perfect day for being out with my family.

We stayed a couple of hours. Greg had enjoyed throwing the ball with Furey and was now sending out feelings of being relaxed, a feeling I hadn't felt from him before. We ate our sandwiches, laughing at Greg's lack of attention to what he had packed for us to eat. After lunch, Greg watched Furey play football with the family that had laughed when he belched. Greg read a journal while I slept; my head in his lap. He woke me when Furey came back to the blanket.

"I'm done with the beers, time to go."

I nodded.

We got home and I folded my clothes that Furey brought up from the dryer. Around 8:00 pm, Furey looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes and pleaded, "Can I sleep with you and Dad?"

Before I could say anything, Greg barked, "No! You're too old to sleep with us."

I gave Greg the evil eye. I couldn't read Furey's thoughts because he wasn't trying to project them to me, but I could feel that he felt scared. He had felt scared all day long to some degree or another, especially when he was around strangers. He was still worried that someone was going to kidnap him again.

"Furey, get me a drink of water with ice, okay hon?" He went off to the kitchen. When he was out of the room I whispered loudly, "Greg, he's just been through a very traumatic event. He's been frightened all day of being outside, exposed to strangers. He needs a night with us. He may look twelve, but he's only nine. This isn't easy for him."

Greg looked down and thought hard, "I take it you can read his thoughts?"

"Not his thoughts, but his emotions, yes."

He took a deep breath and blew out, "Okay, but it's going to get crowded."

"You could sleep in his room."

Greg pulled his head back in shock, "Excuse me? You two are going to kick me out of my own room? Maybe I will. At least I'll get some sleep."

Greg went down the hall to the guest room and slept in the medical bed, playing with all the levers before deciding on the position that he wanted the bed fixed when he slept. Furey and I ended up in our bed with Furey curled up in his Star Wars flannel pjs. I held him until he fell asleep in my arms. Once I knew he was okay, I let myself drift into a pleasant sleep, taking care to keep my wound away from the thrashing of the nine year old.

I woke up feeling like a boa constrictor had me. I looked at Furey, twisted in the bed so that his arm was across my neck, his leg across my waist about a foot from my wound. Behind me was Greg, wedged in tight next to my butt, his arm draped around both me and Furey. I'm a little claustrophobic and it took everything in me not to panic and scream at the two of them to get off of me. I took a deep breath and undraped Furey's arm from my neck. I turned him gently over so that we were all facing the same direction like a human oreo. I was the filling that was oozing out the sides. After we were all sorted out, I have to admit, I felt comfortable and safe. I had my two little heaters and Greg's arms holding me. I fell back to sleep and had dreams of sailing on the harbor in San Diego. The sails were full with the afternoon wind. It was peaceful and I felt happy with the sun shining on my face

I woke up and could feel Greg was just starting to wake up because a hand was touching and caressing my breast. I pulled it away so that Furey wouldn't wake up and see me being groped. I could feel Greg's morning friend between us. Grabbing his hand had awaken him. He lifted his head.

"Did the alarm go off?"

I whispered, "Not yet, but you were going for gold, so I had to stop you."

He nodded, understanding, looked over at Furey and dropped his head back on the pillow. The alarm went off. Furey moaned and whined, "I don't want to go to school."

House snorted, "Yeah, well I _want to go_ to your graduation in another eight years, so get your butt up and move Dude."

Furey didn't even have his eyes fully open as he slid out of bed and went back to his room. Greg quickly felt me up, giving me a very passionate kiss that made my whole body tingle. I knew I was feeling better because I wished he could stay and grope some more. He lifted his head and smiled.

"You liked that."

I nodded. "Is there any way we could accommodate each other sometime today?"

He got out of bed, "I'll be home for lunch. Have the dairy-bar open."

"Ha, ha."

They got ready and Greg took Furey to school. I received a call on my cell phone from Freddie telling me that Furey was being guarded. From now on, he'd have a guard at school, courtesy of the FBI.

"Does Greg know?"

"We told him this morning when they got to school. I was there. Furey looked relieved, his Dad looked pissed, saying something about slippery slope of civil rights.

I laughed, "Yeah, that would be Greg's reaction. But, he's right. We're going to have to figure out a way for Furey to have a normal childhood."

"How are you doing?" Freddie asked.

"It's nice to be home."

There was a pause. "Home? Are you in San Diego?"

"No, silly, Princeon, with Greg and Furey."

"Oh, what are you doing after your month off?"

"Go back to work."

"We solved the D.C. murders, got the guy in custody yesterday. You and I are going to be sent back to San Diego."

I laughed, "They can't do that to me. Who's going to take care of Greg and Furey?"

There was another deep pause, "Auri, are you alright? You're still assigned to the field office in San Diego, unless they told you something different. Did someone say something to you?"

I was really confused; it didn't make sense for me to go back to San Diego when my husband and step-son were here. "I better call them."

"Well, in the meantime, did you get all your stuff? I had them send it up from the hotel room."

"Yes, thanks Freddie."

"Well, I fly back the day after tomorrow. I'll see you when you get home. Take care."

"You too, bye."

At 11:30, I made my way up the stairs, noting that I had managed to climb them faster. I was starting to feel much better, only taking half my pain dosage. I was still on prednisone too. I looked through what I had and there was nothing sexy in the suitcase. I went through the clothes in the guestroom, but they were too big for me now. I was feeling strangely unattractive and sure that being with a woman that had a large bandage in the middle of her would not be that attractive. I heard the door close downstairs.

"Honey, I'm home!"

"Upstairs."

He came up the stairs and down the hall in record time, started stripping down as fast as he could, clothes flying everywhere. I was under the covers in a t-shirt.

He was standing, his penis starting to move around like a conductor's wand. "What's with the t-shirt?"

I lifted up the covers and he climbed in. "I have a huge bandage on my torso. How attractive is that?"

"Let's see."

I pulled up the t-shirt and the bandage wasn't even a nice white. I had obviously bled sometime since leaving the hospital because it was a brick brown red. I saw his penis deflate slightly.

"We need to change the bandage." He said, staring at the bloody gauze. Then he looked at my breasts and I saw the penis start waving around again. The poor fellow didn't know whether it was coming or going. He looked back at the bandage. "Damn it. It will be better for you, me and my erection if I take a look at it and change it."

He got up and by the time he came back with the supplies, the lovesick penis was now calmly resting between his legs. I sat up while he took off the bandage. "Ah crap! Get up and get dressed, I'm going to have to take you in. You've got an infection. Damn! Damn!"

I looked down and the area around the wound had puss and the entire region was red and angry looking. A makeshift bandage was applied after which we both got up and went to the hospital where House hunted Dr. Chase down.

He looked at my wound, "Yes, it's infected. How do you feel Auri?"

_Horny. _I shrugged my shoulders,"Just a little weak. I felt better this morning."

"I'm tempted to admit you. Let's get an MRI and see what's going on inside you."

I came back from the MRI and there were three doctors in the next room looking at my results, including Greg. Chase came back out to me, followed by Greg and a female doctor named Cuddy.

"Auri, your surgeon in New York didn't sew up a nick in your bowel from a piece of the bullet. You need emergency surgery."

I started crying.

Chase took my hands, a little dismayed that he had caused an FBI agent to cry. "Auri, are you afraid?"

I whispered, "No. It's just that, by the time this is over, I'm going to have scars all over my body. It's not very attractive."

Greg rolled his eyes.

Chase smiled, "I'm going to do the surgery laproscopically. I promise you'll hardly notice the scar. And I'll see what I can do to minimize the other one. I have to open it up anyway to clean it out. I'll give you tiny, tiny sutures, okay?"

"Thanks."

I was in the hospital for four days, but when I got out I was weaker than before, sleeping most of the days in bed. At night, I spent time with Furey before we all went to sleep. Furey was feeling much more confident with the FBI watching him. He slept in his own bedroom without a fuss. After a week, I started getting up and walking around the house to get back some of my strength. I told Chase on my next visit that I didn't think I could go back to work.

I sighed and shook my head, "My job is both mentally and physically exhausting."

"I'll write up another month of rehabilitation. Have your boss call me."

It was settled; I received an additional month, giving me six more weeks before I had to go back to work. I had talked to my boss and they confirmed that I would have to finish up my stint in San Diego before they could grant my wish to move me to the east coast. They weren't sure how close they could get me to Princeton though. I was working it out with Joseph Persichini, Jr., the Assistant Director and the one who had authorized me to work Furey's kidnapping.

"Well, I need to be close to my family. Furey needs someone who understands and can teach him how to deal with what's coming up."

"We agree with you. We'd like an agent close to him and you're the best choice. It's possible I can convince them to station you nearby." Persichini said.

"Thank you, sir."

"Well, get better Ferrell, we're very proud of you. You protected one of our nation's best assets and believe me, it hasn't gone unnoticed. Good bye."

"Good bye."

I still felt as if I was in a fog and sleeping seemed to be what I did best. However, it made sense to me now why none of my things were at the house. Everything was in San Diego where I was stationed with the Bureau. I wondered how Furey and Greg had managed to live without me? I wondered how long we had been married? It was all very hazy. I remembered that we must have gotten married near Seaport Village because Greg, Furey and I walked around Seaport Village in our wedding clothes. I didn't understand why we had done this, it didn't make sense. But, I had a clear vision of just walking aimlessly around Seaport Village.

I was gaining strength every day and after two weeks, I was climbing the stairs at a reasonable rate. I was upstairs one day when I heard the door downstairs open and close.

Since no one identified themselves, I called out, "Hello?"

I heard Greg's somewhat bored voice, "It's just me. I came home to grab a journal and a little lunch."

"Oh, okay." I yelled down.

I heard noises in the kitchen. I quickly grabbed the package from the guest room, (which no longer had a medical bed in it.) I had been buying clothes on the internet and having them shipped to me. I opened the package and pulled out the little outfit. It had little black laced panties with a black camisole that conveniently covered my wound. I figured that we could take the panties off and leave the top on. Greg could pull the straps down, revealing his favorite toys. I put it on and sat on the top of the bed, waiting for him to come up. After fifteen minutes, I heard a noise at the bottom of the stairs and then the front door open and close.

I sat up, "Greg?"

No answer.

"Damn!" I hit the pillow with my fist and started to take the camisole off. But then I heard a door open and close again so I posed myself seductively on the bed.

I heard steps coming up the stairs. He started yelling down the hall, "I forgot, I was reading the other journal I need in bed last…" He stopped when he saw me. It took a minute for his brain to absorb and make sense of what he was seeing. "Oh, ho, ho…you little minx. Damn, I'm in the middle of a diagnosis." He kept looking at me, up and down. I took a strap and pulled it off my shoulder, revealing my breast just below the nipple.

He smiled and shook his head. Taking out his cell he dialed. "I'm having trouble finding that journal; it may take me a half hour. You guys take a quick lunch. Yeah, I know. He's stable right? Fine. Half an hour."

I realized that I wasn't going to get much cuddling in. He began throwing clothes into a pile before jumping onto the bed next to me.

He shook his head in disbelief, "And to think I almost went back to the hospital without coming up here. I tell you, one more day in bed without any relief and I was going to kick you to the curb."

I rolled my eyes, "I know! When I heard the door close, I almost had a heart attack. All dressed up and nowhere to come."

He laughed, pulling on the strap to reveal the entire breast. I saw the tongue come out of his mouth as he tickled the tip of my nipple. I couldn't take it. I slipped my hand hurriedly into his shorts and started pumping hard.

Reaching down, he grabbed my arm to stop my frantic efforts, "Whoa…we have a half hour. We don't have to rush that fast."

I rolled on my back and looked up to the ceiling, "I just feel like it's been a long time since we had sex."

He pulled the left strap of the camisole slowly down and then straddled me, bending down to take a breast in his hand, suck it before rotating to the other one. He blew on each of my nipples after he sucked them, making them get hard with goosebumps around them.

Pulling my panties just past my slit, he rubbed the dark blonde hair as he straddled my thighs. The long index finger followed the slit between my legs without penetrating the folds then he pulled the panties down all the way, taking them and throwing them on the floor. He rolled off and quickly took off his boxers. His fingers glided gently up my thighs as he rubbed the folds between my legs from the outside, never penetrating.

"Spread your legs a little," He commanded. I did. He knelt between them, "Now, play with yourself."

I blushed, "I want you to play with me."

He smiled at me, "I will, but first I want to watch you."

I pushed my hand between my legs and fingered through the slit, finding my clit. His eyes were glued to what I was doing. He took his erection in his hand and started to slowly glide up and down it with his hand. It was starting to glisten with come on the tip of it. Leaning forward, he hovered over my body. The only place we were touching was our thighs.

I felt a hard fleshy rod start rubbing where my finger was. I removed my finger as he used his erection to play with my clit. I started to gently rub his erection with my fingers.

"In, go in." I begged.

He shook his head, "Not a good idea with your stitches. He continued to rub me over and over with his erection. "Play with yourself again."

I did, I started to rub harder and harder, my thighs becoming rigid as I concentrated on the feel of just my finger between my thighs. He climbed up and put his head on the pillow kissing me, pushing my hand away and taking over, his long fingers making quick work. He could rub my clit and finger me at the same time. The fingers were dipping in and out rapidly as my breathing matched the pace of his fingers. I felt it like a muscle contraction at first and then it went through my groin and up into the tips of my nipples.

"Suck me, Greg." I groaned.

He reached down and sucked my nipple and then the other one. It was all I needed. I grabbed at the bed, screaming, "Greg, fuck me, fuck me."

He kept sucking and thrusting his fingers further and harder as the orgasm exploded until I had to stop him. The pleasure had peaked and it was uncomfortable.

"_No more. Stop."_

He stopped fingering me. I grabbed his rock hard erection and slid down to put my mouth around it. He didn't wait for me to get comfortable before pushing it up into my mouth over and over. I angled myself to get more of it inside, my tongue continually licking the tip when it came up. I started sucking faster and faster as he pushed my head down over his dick. I was sure I was going to gag, but I didn't. The semen hit the back of my throat and then slid down into my stomach. I had a hard time breathing, but I didn't remove my mouth. I don't think I could, his hand held me down firmly over his dick.

"Auri, yeah baby. Yeah, that feels great. You're so hot. Ah yeah."

I didn't feel any more semen going down my throat and the grip on the back of my head loosened. I lifted up to look at him. The lids of his eyes and his mouth were half opened in satisfaction. He rolled back and smiled.

"To think I almost went back to work."

I crawled up to the pillow. He motioned to the corner of my mouth. "It looks so sexy, but I guess I should tell you that you have come dripping down from the corner of your mouth."

I took my tongue and licked it up.

He watched me do this; his mouth opened wide, "Oh my God, that was hot."

"When can we really screw?" I asked.

"At least a week, depending on what Chase says tomorrow."

He got dressed, leaned over, kissed me and went off to work. I didn't want to move, I felt so satiated. I finally got up and showered when I realized that Furey would be home soon and I hadn't even gotten anything out for dinner.

When Greg came home that evening we ate dinner downstairs. He kept pointing to the corner of my mouth, "You have a little food right there."

I took my tongue and rubbed it around my lips and then dipped out and licked the corner of my mouth really slowly. "Did I get it?"

His voice went hoarse, "Yeah, I think so."

Furey looked at his Dad. I could feel his curiosity. He finally looked at us, "Did you guys have sex today?"

We both looked horrified.

I looked squarely in his eyes, "Why do you ask that?"

"Cause whenever Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Jen have sex or are going to have sex, Uncle Jimmy's voice gets really husky, like Dad's just did."

I started laughing. Greg looked off and shook his head.

"Well, it's none of your business and I probably wouldn't tell Uncle Jimmy that. He might be slightly embarrassed." I said.

"You know, I'd make a great brother. So you guys don't have to use birth control."

Greg jumped up and took his plate to the sink. I sputtered and coughed, "Thank you for letting us know how you feel on the issue, but I'm too old to have babies."

He looked slightly disappointed, "Really, did you go through the change of life like Grandma?" Furey asked.

"No, I didn't mean physically too old, just too set in my ways to have a baby. Besides, you're perfect, why would I want another kid?"

Furey shrugged, "Because I want a brother or a sister."

Greg came out with a beer, "Uncle Jimmy's going to give you one of those soon enough."

"But she won't be a real sister. I want a real one. I want Auri to have a baby."

I shook my head, "Honey, that isn't going to happen."

Furey got up and yelled at me, "Then maybe you should go home. We don't need someone who's dried up and too selfish to have a baby. I hate you."

Greg came unglued, "You ungrateful brat! This woman almost lost her life because of you…"

I jumped up, "Greg! It's okay. He's just disappointed. He thinks couples have babies."

"Then it _really_ doesn't make sense. Go do your homework." Greg pointed out the kitchen door.

Furey sulked out the door, bottom lip protruding in protest of his feelings. He slammed his bedroom door and Greg almost went up after him to punish him.

"Let it go, Greg. This isn't easy on him. All the trauma, our new family. He's trying to figure out where he fits with me and you, now that I'm here."

Greg looked at me funny, "Auri, you and I need to talk about where you fit in."

I held up a hand, "I know, it's not my place to punish him. I promise not to interfere." I got up and started to clean up.

"Well, that's part of it. But, it's more, where do we go from here? What is it we want from this?" He motioned between the two of us.

I knew that he must be talking about my job. "Greg, I can't make any promises, but I'm trying to get the Bureau to transfer me out here. I assume that's what you want?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, that would be nice. I'd like for us to have time together."

"Me too. They're thinking that having an agent with Furey would be a good idea. I told them that Furey is more important to me than making sure they have an asset, so they shouldn't expect me to always act as an agent. They understood. They know how I feel about him. I know that until we know where I'm going to end up, we can't really make any plans. Do you agree?"

He nodded.

I walked over, kissed and held him. He did the same. We both went into the living room. I was sitting on the couch reading while Greg was playing piano when I felt Furey coming down the stairs. I looked up and his eyes were almost swollen shut from crying, his long face -- longer. He stood in front of me about six feet away. His chin started to quiver and I could tell he was about to burst out crying. Greg was frustrated with all the recent emotions from his son. I put down the magazine and held out my arms. Furey came running into them. I kissed him and he started crying.

"I don't think you're dried up and…hic…I don't want you to go …and I …hic..sniff…really love you."

"Oh honey," I started to pet him, pulling him into my lap. I almost laughed at his long legs which reached to the floor and beyond, "I know you didn't mean it. I know you love me, because I love you too and sometimes I say really mean things that I wish I could take back."

He started to control the sobbing and I could feel Greg's emotions turn from frustration with Furey to affection. Looking over at Greg, I smiled at him as I continued to stroke Furey's hair and back.

"You're going to spoil him."

I turned from Greg and smiled into Furey's eyes, "I can't think of someone who deserves it more." I kissed Furey and rocked him back and forth. He must have weighed almost as much as me. He was as tall as me and it seemed to me that the child was going to shoot up past his Dad when adolescence kicked in. Half an hour later I had to wake Furey to send him up to bed, he had fallen asleep in my arms.

The following week I felt pretty good and even started to walk in the neighborhood, making a few friends as I strolled down the street. I'd stop and talk to the mothers and old couples who were out and about in their yards and on the sidewalks. When informed, the neighbors all seemed somewhat surprised that I was married to Greg.

I was still feeling hazy, unable to read people. By now, I figured it had a lot to do with the medications I was still on, including the steroids. I couldn't wait to get off all the drugs.

**Dear Readers,**

**Have you been enjoying this? I hope so! Leave a review if you have time!**

**Take care,**

**Gorby**


	19. Chapter 19

**Dear Readers, Sorry about this...I posted Chapter 20 before 19, so those who have already read Chapter 20, sorry!**

**Chapter 19**

**What She Doesn't Know**

"She threw out my shirts."

I yelled to Uncle Jimmy from the back seat, "She only threw out three and they had buttons missing and ratty collars. She bought him three new, nice ones…_that don't wrinkle!_"

"She cooks nothing but vegetables."

I leaned forward, "It's not true Uncle Jimmy. She makes meals that have vegetables in them. They aren't _all vegetables._"

My Dad looked in the rear view mirror and squinted, "She makes us change our sheets all the time!"

I drew in a long breath and shook my head, "She helps us change our sheets once a week."

Uncle Jimmy laughed. He was sitting in the passenger seat trying to punch in numbers into the GPS as my Dad drove along. "Heaven forbid you show up to work in decent clothes, eat right and don't live in squalor. I say boot her out the door as soon as possible."

My Dad pouted.

I was mad at him for complaining about Auri to Uncle Jimmy, especially when I knew that he really liked having her around; he just had to moan about it. I mumbled rather loudly, "Well, at least you like the sex."

Uncle Jimmy snapped his head back to look at me.

My Dad looked at Uncle Jimmy and then at me in the rear view mirror, "Have you been in my mind?"

I didn't say anything at first, "Maybe. But it doesn't take a genius when you start hearing, 'Oh yeah baby, take me home, oh yeah, I like it like that. That feels so good, wait until your turn.' from down the hall at night."

Uncle Jimmy gave my Dad a dirty look. My Dad shrugged, "Didn't know the walls were that thin."

"House, you have to be careful."

"Yeah, yeah."

"It seems as if she's the best thing to happen to you two in a long time. She cooks, cleans, performs certain necessary functions, does the laundry and takes bullets for your son. Sounds like my kind of woman." He held up the GPS, "Okay, it should work now. I just plugged in your house for you."

Dad sneered, "I _know_ how to get to my house!"

Uncle Jimmy didn't respond. A minute later he pointed at a flower stand by the side of the road, "Pull over."

My Dad pulled over and Uncle Jimmy got out and pointed at a bouquet of flowers. My Dad and I got out of the car too. The florist was wrapping the bouquet of roses, peonies, violets, and little white flowers up into a piece of paper.

My Dad frowned, "What are those for?"

"_My wife!" _Uncle Jimmy said firmly.

My Dad said with an attitude, "Are you having an affair?"

"No, I'm just taking them home to her to say…to say how much I care."

My Dad thought for a minute, then pulled out his wallet, pointed at a bouquet, "We'll take those."

She wrapped up another bouquet and Dad paid for them, He pushed them into my arms, "You can give them to Auri."

We got into the car and drove Uncle Jimmy home and the back to our house. I walked in and ran to Auri, who was cooking dinner. Dad was following behind.

"Auri, look what Dad bought you!"

My Dad got flustered, "They're from Furey."

"Nah-ah. He picked them out and paid for them."

My Dad rolled his eyes, "Okay, they're from both of us."

She was grinning at my Dad. Walking over to me she gave me a peck on my cheek. "Thank you Furey." Then she walked over to my Dad, gave him a longer kiss on his lips and whispered loud enough that I heard, "I'll thank you properly tonight."

My Dad smiled and then caught me staring at him. He narrowed his eyes and growled. Auri cut the tips off the stems and put the flowers in the vase.

Auri had to go back to San Diego in eight days and I was getting anxious. I didn't want her to go, especially thinking she was married to my Dad. I didn't know how to tell her, but it just never came up…or at least it didn't come up in ways that I could break the news to her.

I was going to miss her; she made sure the shirts got hung up right out of the dryer and that the house smelled like flowers when you walked inside the door. She cooked really well and made things that were good for us. I always had a packed lunch in the mornings with a sandwich, fruit and celery or tomato slices or something like that. She always smelled nice. We played games and did homework together no matter how tired or how much work she had to do around the house. Best of all, she hugged me all the time. It felt like I had the best of both worlds. I felt like I had all the things I liked at Uncle Jimmy's right here at home…except for the friends next door to play with. I was doing great in class and the only thing that worried me was Auri finding out that she wasn't married. So, whenever my Dad would say, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." I knew exactly what he was talking about.

Dad would never admit it, but he was sleeping better than ever. His leg pain wasn't as bad and because Auri made us go out and play, his leg was getting stronger. He was easier to get along with at home and I suspect at work too. I heard Uncle Jimmy thoughts and he confirmed it.

_Now that he's getting laid on a regular basis, House is actually fun to be around again._

My Dad was teaching me the piano again and we were jamming together more often. It just felt like a home over the last five weeks. I was going to miss Auri a lot.

It was a Friday night and we all ended up on Dad's bed watching _Sean of the Dead_, one of our favorite movies. Dad turned to Auri, "Saturday, we're going out. I have to make an appearance at the Resident's Awards Gala, because the residents are giving me an award. I suspect it's for Butthole of the Year, but Cuddy has demanded I make an appearance. I'm afraid it's black tie. So you need a dress, shoes, you know—the full battle gear."

Auri looked absolutely stunned. "Thanks for giving me plenty of time." She said it sarcastically. Then she asked, "Who's going to watch Furey?"

"FBI."

I jumped up on the bed, "_Really? Too cool." _I liked the guys who watched my school, they were really cool. If it was one of them, I was going to have a blast.

Dad gave me a look of disdain, "No way the government is going to spend hundreds of dollars to babysit you for a night. No, I've got Linda coming over."

"Oh. Well, that's cool too. I like Linda." Linda was Aunt Jen's seventeen year old niece and, according to Uncle Jimmy's thoughts, is 'smokin'' for a seventeen year old.

Auri was concerned, "Who is she?"

"It's okay Auri, she's been babysitting me for the last two years. She's really fun, but responsible."

I could feel that Auri was less worried. For some reason, I could pick up feelings from Auri, but no thoughts unless we were thinking to each other. It sounded like gibberish if I tried to listen in which meant she was still having trouble with her talents, which also meant that she still believed that she and Dad were married. I couldn't help but feel I was on a head on collision course with a really bad future.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**What I Don't Know Won't Hurt Me?**

The next day I went to see Chase and he gave me a clean bill of health. I had been weaned off the Prednisone and was surprised to find my mind was clearing. I could hear thoughts, but they would come in dribs and drabs. But every hour since I'd been off the Prednisone I was getting my intuition back. I was also losing water like mad, making me look even thinner. My face, which looked like a moon pie when I was on the prednisone, was almost back to normal.

I love to go out to dances and balls. But having to find an entire outfit in one day while still feeling a little weak, wasn't going to be easy. Especially since I had to buy the outfit and then go out that night with no real chance to recuperate.

It had turned cold so I spent the day shopping mostly at Macy's where they were having a big sale. I had clipped the 15% coupon out of the newspaper and spent my time combing through the racks. But, I found nothing. I went to Bloomingdales and found nothing. I was getting desperate so I went down to BCBG and ended up finding a dress that the salesladies all ooohhed and ahhhhed over. It had a low plunging neckline, the two strips of material that covered my breasts attached at a cumberbund at my waist. The gown was made out of an electric blue satin that had a trumpet skirt down to the floor. I was in such a hurry, I didn't do the three point test. I didn't check to see if I could sit down, if I could bend over or if I could go pee. I bought the dress and some silver satin, open-toed, three inch pumps.

I arrived home and found Greg ready except for tying his bow tie and putting on his jacket.

"You're cutting it close. The event start at 6:00 and it's 4:30 now."

I freaked, "Okay, I'll be ready."

I ran up the stairs with my packages and straight into the bathroom to start my shower. It took me an hour to put myself together. I had on full battle makeup, dangling earrings, and suck-me-in panties. I put shoulder-length my hair back in a French knot. I frankly didn't know if I looked good or not. I slipped on my shoes and was almost out the door when I realized I didn't have on my wedding rings.

Frustration rang in Greg's voice, "Auri, I'm going to go warm up the car, hurry up."

"Okay, I'll be there in just a minute."

I ran to Greg's drawer and searched through it, finding my wedding rings. They fit better than before, but were still loose. I ran into the bathroom and grabbed a band-aid to put on the back of the bands. I slipped the rings on and the band-aid made them fit tight, almost too tight. I grabbed the velvet coat I had just purchased and ran down the stairs. Furey and his babysitter looked up.

Furey was staring, mouth open like a fish.

The girl simply said, "You look beautiful."

"Thanks. Mind yourself, Furey. And go to bed by ten."

He finally nodded, "Auri, you look so different. Like one of those girls at a fashion show on tv."

I ruffled his hair, grabbed a black scarf and black gloves, put them and the coat on and was out the door. Jumping in the front seat, I could feel that Greg was perturbed at me, but I was doing the best I could.

"Do I look okay?" I asked him.

"I don't know what you look like considering I've been out here in the dark. I'll check you out at the Gala."

He said it with a little edge to his voice, meaning he was still pissed at me for taking so long and making us almost late. We arrived a little after six and discovered that the first hour wasn't the awards ceremony, it was the cocktail hour. We could have strolled in anytime during the hour and been just fine. As soon as we entered the building we saw Wilson without Jennifer. He waved at us and we went over to the coat check. Greg took his coat off and handed it to me, then took off for the bar.

Wilson looked at me, "What was that about?"

"I got home late and he's been waiting for me. He was a little pissed off that I had to rush around at the last minute. Where's Jennifer?"

"She's ready to pop, the baby's dropped." He grinned, "I could get a page tonight! But, I'm supposed to give out an oncology award, so I decided to attend. Besides, she looks forward to time alone."

I handed the coat clerk my coat, gloves and scarf. Turning back to Wilson, I was surprised to see him staring at me, bug-eyed. "Jim?"

He shook his head and blew out of his mouth, "I can see why it took all day to find that dress. It's very uh…attractive."

His comments were unusual so I tried desperately to read his mind. I picked up a few words like, _sexy, inappropriate, breasts, do her. _I realized that he was conflicted, part of him thought the dress was too sexy for the event and the other part was enjoying a fantasy about screwing me. I ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

_What was I thinking? The dress shows off every curve of my body, the shape of my nipples and standing sideways you can see most of my breast. And I'm wearing it to a doctor's function? Oh, this isn't going to go well._

I stepped out and started to cross to the coat check. I was going to grab a cab home. But I heard Greg call out, "Auri?" He was standing half way down the room surrounded by other doctors. I turned and looked at him.

The whole room turned and looked at me. No one said anything.

I heard his voice, "_Holy shit, Auri." _He walked towards me and held out his hand. I walked down the two steps to him and took his hand. He leaned in and whispered, "You have a beautiful body and now everyone knows it."

_Whew, what a dress. Cuddy's going to have apoplexy when she sees how hot she is. The donors' wives are probably going to find it inappropriate. But, what the hell, it sure is a showstopper. Every straight guy in here is going to want a piece of her._

His thoughts came through loud and clear.

I looked down at my feet, "I realize it's not appropriate. I'm going to take a taxi home."

He smiled at me, slipped an arm around my satin waist and kissed the side of my head. "Let me buy you a drink." I looked up into his crinkled blue eyes. Kissing me on the mouth, he sent a message to every male in the room that I was going to go home with him. We stayed like that, his arm around my waist for awhile.

He whispered again, "I think the dress rocks and is just what this place needs."

"No, I think I should go home." I pulled him over to the side, just out of view of the others to talk to him. He slipped his hand around and between my arm and my dress, through the armhole, wrapping his fingers around my breast. I was bright red and excited at the same time. "Greg, don't feel me up here."

He was breathing hard into the side of my head, "You practically advertise in that dress. Just let me play a little with that nipple." He reached around and twisted my nipple in his finger.

"Let's go sit down." I pulled away, his hand falling awkwardly out of my dress.

"Fine."

I sat down, but Greg continued to walk around and talk to some of the Residents. I watched him talking to his team and then he finally came over, sat down, and poured himself a glass of wine.

The program took an hour and then music started. Greg had received a rather impressive gift, "_To Dr. Gregory House, For Making Residents Think Outside the Box." _Greg tried to act nonchalant, but he was secretly chuffed to get the award.

"I'm proud of you." I reached up and put my left hand on his right. I could feel a strong affection as he turned to look at me.

"Auri, I'm not good at expressing my feelings, but this last month has been," He smiled, looking down at our hands. The smile dropped and his face contorted into pain. Jumping up, he pulled my hand with him as he backed away from the table.

"_What the fuck are you doing with my wife's rings?"_ he yelled.

I was embarrassed, not knowing what I had done, what to say to such an obvious question. But, I could feel that he was genuinely angry, "Greg?"

He started pulling at the rings which were wedged tightly on my finger by the band aid. My knuckle felt as if it was going to be yanked off.

"What is wrong with you? Who the hell do you think you are?" He wouldn't stop pulling.

"_Greg, you're hurting me." _I tried to pull back.

Wilson jumped up, "House, stop that!"

"_Where did you get them? Answer me!"_

I started crying, "I don't understand, they're mine, you gave them to me when we were married."

Wilson and Greg both stopped in their tracks and looked at me, mouths open, eyes wide in disbelief. I could feel their disapproval, as if I had said something horrible. I grabbed my purse and ran for the door, stopping to get my coat, gloves and hat.

As I rushed out, I could see Wilson trying to hold Greg back, his anger palpable from where I stood. I took off into the cold night and started walking as fast as my three inch heels could carry me. I found a coffee shop and went inside to get warm, ordering hot chocolate, I sat down at a table.

I opened the gate and searched for Greg. A flood of emotions pounded me. Anger, confusion, worry, affection, disappointment all hit me as I tried to read him.

_What is wrong with her? Why does she have Teagan's rings? Damn her, who the hell does she think she is? Married? Is that some sad attempt to get me down the aisle? Furey knows something about this. I know he does. _

It was clear that he didn't think we were married. I thought back to the day that he asked me. Furey and Greg were both in suits. We were all sitting at a table in a restaurant. Greg ordered champagne. I don't remember what I was wearing, which made me suspicious. It's strange that I can't remember what I wore on the day I got engaged.

"Furey and I have something to ask you." He nodded to Furey who reached in his pocket and gave Greg the ring box. Sliding it over to me, Greg and Furey said together, "Will you marry us?"

But the scene was both familiar and unfamiliar. Familiar because I had seen something similar in a Disney movie, unfamiliar because I didn't remember the name of the restaurant, where the restaurant was, the clothes I wore or what we did before or after. I was beginning to think my memory wasn't real.

_Furey knows something about this. I know he does._

Greg was sure that Furey knew something. Furey wanted us to marry so much. He loved the idea of us all being a family. Were these my memories or Furey's? The rings. They're Teagan's rings. Furey gave them to me. Furey. Oh, how could he do this to me?

I sat in the coffee shop for an hour sorting through my thoughts, trying to decipher what was real and what wasn't. Then I walked. I walked for at least an hour until my feet screamed out for relief. I grabbed a cab back to the townhouse, knocking on the door. The door opened with a woosh, Greg standing with his tux coat off and tie undone.

"_Where…"_ He started to yell, but stopped himself. "Where have you been? I've been combing the streets looking for you.

"I just needed to think." I took off my coat hung it up.

"We need to talk about…"

I held up a hand, "Apparently prednisone does more than just calm inflammation, it's messed up my mind and my abilities. I'm seeing much clearer now. But, I am very tired, extremely tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?" I looked at him, my eyes ready to cry.

He was poised to say something, but held back, "Sure."

"I'll sleep on your sofa bed in the guest room."

He nodded.

I walked up the stairs. As I did, I opened the gate. He was thinking about having sex with me. After all this, he was thinking about how I looked in the dress and how much he wanted to take it off me. I turned and looked at him. He was gorgeous, standing there with the bowtie hanging around his neck, top button undone. If I had just slipped my strap down slowly, allowed it to slide down the curve of my breast until the tip of my nipple revealed itself, he would have forgotten and forgiven everything. But, the next day it would have turned into regret and further embarrassment for both of us. I was already humiliated beyond belief. I wanted nothing from him, except to let me slink out of his life for good.

I went to the bedroom and waited. I heard his door open and close. After an hour I slipped downstairs with a shopping bag. In the cellar, sitting on the dryer, was a pile of my clean clothes. I picked out an outfit that I could wear and put it on. I packed the rest in the shopping bag and then searched for my sneakers which I found in the mud room next to the kitchen. Grabbing my coat, I walked over to side table and took off Teagan's rings. I put them, and my love for the life I had lived for the last eight weeks behind on the table.

I turned the knob quietly and gingerly walked to the cab I had ordered with my shopping bag. I arrived at the airport and within minutes I had a flight at 5:30 am for San Diego…free. Most airlines love having an FBI agent riding on their planes. I arrived back at my house in San Diego around one in the afternoon, opening the doors and windows to air out the house.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Alone Again**

The air went out of my chest, I felt Auri…she was embarrassed, very embarrassed and hurt. The gate went down like an iron inside my head. I couldn't reach her, talk to her, apologize to her. I ran out of my bedroom to the landing and started sobbing. I knew she had shut me out and I was responsible for her pain. My babysitter made me go back to bed and so I laid there listening for someone to come home. But, I must have fallen asleep, because I didn't wake up until the morning. When I went downstairs, my Dad was sitting on the couch in his shorts drinking coffee. He gave me a look as if he was really disappointed in me.

I started crying, "She's gone, isn't she?"

He bit his upper lip and nodded. "I think you had something to do with that. You better sit down and tell me what you know."

I didn't have to open the gate to know that my Dad was steaming mad. I knew this because he was calm and not calling me names. I sat down on the chair, but couldn't look up at him.

"Well?" he said without any tone.

I swallowed and finally looked up at him, "When she was in a coma, I didn't want her to think about being shot so I would hold her hand and project stories, stories about us being a family. I made up an engagement, a wedding, her being around the house and acting like a Mom. I just made them up. When she woke up I think she thought my stories were real because she referred to some things that were in my stories that hadn't happened in real life."

"What about your mother's rings?"

"She woke up and freaked out, worried that she didn't have her rings, when she didn't have her wedding rings on. I remembered that Mom's rings were in your dresser so I gave them to her, but they didn't fit. So she put them back until she could get them fixed or get fatter."

Dad shook his head, he was really angry, "You didn't tell her or stop her…you let her go on thinking that we were married? Do you know what you've done?"

I shook my head. I really wasn't sure what I had done, but I knew it was bad.

"She's left without talking to me, without saying goodbye, without resolving the issues. I'm pretty sure we won't see her again. When I saw your mother's rings on her finger last night, I was pretty mean to her."

I started crying. "But, she loves me. She said she loves me. Why would she never see us again? She promised she would always love me. Dad, she promised me. She promised she would always be there."

"Furey, that was before you duped her. This was a horrible practical joke gone bad."

"But it wasn't a joke. I just liked to tell her stories. I thought I could show her what it would be like if we were a family. She said that, _no matter what_, she'd be there."

My Dad shook his head, "She's not your mother or your Dad. She doesn't have to give you unconditional love and after what you did to her, she has every right not to love you."

"What? What's that?"

"Give you love no matter what you do. It's when someone loves you even if you turn out to be Ted Bundy."

I was freaking out. I had made Auri stop loving me? I could hardly get it out, I was crying so hard, _"But, Dad, she loves me."_

"Well, son, everybody lies."

I started crying even harder.

"Hey, Auri cares about you, but she's not your mother. Parents love you even if you dismember half the planet. But, Auri may care, but that doesn't mean she wants to be around us. I really embarrassed her in front of everyone last night. She was pretty hurt. Oh, by the way, get dressed, Uncle Jimmy called from the hospital. You're going to be a pseudo-brother."

I couldn't believe that Auri would never see me again.

We went to the hospital and waited in my Dad's office while he did some work. I ran around the hospital with my Dad's pager. Aunt Jen had been in labor for seven hours, so Dad was hoping it wouldn't be long. An hour later, I got a page and went to the delivery room. We were invited in just after the delivery of Sarah Ann Wilson, 8 lbs. 1 oz and 20 ½ inches long.

My Dad nodded at the baby, "Already an overachiever, got a 10+ Apgar score. At least she doesn't look too much like a prune in a onesie."

Aunt Jen let me hold her although I could sense that she was nervous about it. I sat down and looked at Sarah. I couldn't read any thoughts, but I could feel confusion, lots of it. I looked up at Aunt Jen, "She's really confused, not sure where she is or what's going on."

Everyone laughed. Dad smirked, "That can be said for half the population."

It seemed liked everyone in the room was pleased, even my Dad was amused by everyone's reactions to the arrival of Sarah. I felt mixed. I was curious about her and happy to meet her. But I was so jealous. Sarah Ann had a mom. A mom that cared enough to worry whether a nine year old would drop her. I wanted a mom like that.

Over the next few days I went to school, but I didn't care. We had a big exam, but I didn't do too well. I buried the exam at the bottom of the backpack. The following week, I was having a hard time on an exam. I thought about listening to the thoughts of the smartest girl in the class, Wendy Dobbs, but I didn't even feel like cheating. I got an F and buried it at the bottom of my backpack. My teacher handed back my homework and asked me to stay after class.

"Greg, I know you've been through a lot this semester, but if you're feeling bad about what happened, you should see our school counselor. Your grades are suffering and I'm afraid if you don't pull out of this, we'll have to hold you back."

I was in fifth grade, having been moved up a grade a year earlier. I didn't want to re-do fifth grade, but I just didn't feel like studying. I spent most of my time at home playing computer games. I wasn't going over to Uncle Jimmy's because they had their hands full with the baby. My Dad didn't seem to notice that I wasn't doing my homework. Not like Auri. She always asked about my homework and looked at it each night. I'd never done poorly on anything, so my Dad just assumed I didn't need someone looking over my shoulder.

Two weeks later I got home and my father was angry. He yanked the backpack off my back and dumped it on the coffee table. He found the poor test scores and my half complete homework. I thought he might hit me, he was so angry. But, no matter how mad I made my Dad, the worst he did was yell and take things away.

He kept shaking his head at me, but not speaking. Finally, after me sitting on the chair for five minutes, he raised his head, "What's going on with you? Ever since we met Auri you've been an emotional basket case. You cry, you get bad grades, you mope around. What's wrong with you?"

I didn't say anything right away. I looked in his eyes and then at my feet, "Dad, did you ever want something so much that living without it seems impossible?" I looked up at him, "I want Mom."

I could feel his anger dissipate and his sadness take over. Now that the anger was gone, I could feel how worried he was about me. I could feel the deep desire for my Mom too.

"Furey, it's just you and me. I'm sorry, dude."

"But Dad, you don't understand. It's not just that I miss having a mom. I don't know what to do with my talent. It's becoming stronger and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it."

I could feel that he was just beginning to understand why Auri was so important to me. She wasn't just a mother figure, she was my mentor. He held out an arm and I went over and sat down next to him as he hugged me.

"I wish I could help you."

The doorbell rang. I got up and answered the door. I didn't even have time to grin. Auri stormed past me towards the living room. My Dad saw her and stood up, she pushed him hard. He fell back on the sofa.

Her eyes were narrowed and her teeth were clenched, _"You sorry son of a bitch! You poor excuse for a human being. How dare you! How dare you tell that boy that I was lying when I told him I loved him, that I would always be here for him. You son of a bitch!"_

_"Hey, who the hell do you think you are? I told my son what he needed to hear…that you had abandoned him without a word."_ He lowered his voice, but not much. Waving his hand at Auri and me, "I thought you two had a special connection. Why didn't you contact him when you knew how miserable he was?"

She exhaled, "I needed to shut down. I closed the gate because I was humiliated, embarrassed. I needed time to get over it."

My Dad didn't back down, "Well, I thought that you knew."

"Oh for God's sake Greg, pick up a phone! You could have called me before telling him that I didn't love him." She turned to me, "I'm so sorry Furey, I didn't think you'd miss me that much. You see sweetie, I felt stupid and embarrassed for thinking I was a part of this family."

I ran over and held her, "Auri, I'm so sorry for feeding you those stories. I know now it was wrong. I should have told you."

"Yes, you should have and I am still angry at you for doing that. But," she turned back to my Dad, "it doesn't mean I don't love you, Furey." She swallowed and then looked around, "Well, I guess I'll go now, but I wanted you to know that _not everybody lies_ about love."

She turned to leave. I was desperate. I didn't want her to leave so I looked at my Dad. I gave him a face, begging him to stop her.

He snarled at me, but then cleared his throat, "Auri, where did you go?"

She was calmer, "I flew home to San Diego. I was there until yesterday when I opened the gate and listened into Furey's thoughts. Do you know that this boy doesn't care if he gets good grades, goes out to play or…or lives. I was worried so I caught a flight out."

My Dad was flabbergasted. He didn't really know what to say. He couldn't believe that anyone would care enough to drop everything and fly back for a kid that wasn't hers. He sensed that there must be more to it. _"You flew back just to tell me off?"_

Auri was as dumbfounded. "I flew back because I wanted Furey to know that I took him seriously and I take my relationship with him seriously. I wanted him to know that I was willing to take time out of my life to insure he knew I was _committed to him_. Does that bother you?"

My Dad shook his head, "I'm just surprised."

She wrinkled her nose in contempt, "Yeah, I suspect _you'd_ find it hard to believe that anyone could love unconditionally."

He was going to say something and I know Auri could hear it as well as I could, but he stopped. He looked at me and I must have looked worried, because he simply said, "Where are you staying?"

"I, uh, came straight here. I'm going to stay in a hotel."

He looked at me again, "You can stay in our guest room."

I nodded vigorously, excited that we might get her back.

She looked at me, "Furey, please try to understand this, I love you very much. But, your father and I are _never_ going to be together. _Ever._ I don't appreciate the way he treated me the last night I was here and I really don't appreciate him telling you that I don't love you. He had no right to say that." She looked at Dad, "I'm going to stay at a hotel, but can I take Furey with me? I'd like to have dinner with him, because I have to fly back in the morning."

My Dad was pissed. But, he appreciated the fact that Auri had flown out because she was concerned about me. He nodded.

"Do you have homework?" he asked me.

I wanted to lie, but Auri would know. "Yeah."

Auri put a hand on my shoulder, "He can bring it and we can do it together."

I was excited, nodding like a dashboard doll, "Yeah Dad, it's English and Auri's good at English."

He nodded, "Okay."

I grabbed my book and some paper. I still had my jacket on so I was ready to go.

"I'll get him home before 8:00 pm so he can take a shower and get to bed by 9:00pm."

My Dad nodded, "Fine."

We went to a hotel first and Auri got a room. She only had her big purse with clean underwear and a t-shirt in it. We sat down on the bed and she helped me do my homework. Afterwards we went over to Denny's and ate.

"Furey, I'm going to be moving back here."

I jumped up in my seat, "Really?"

"The FBI wants me to work on their serial killer cases back here so that I can be near you. When I'm not doing that, I'll be guarding and helping you."

"Helping?"

"We have to clear it with your Dad, but I'll be helping you develop your gifts. They're going to get stronger and as you get older you're going to have to learn how to use them and what you can do with them. _And what you can't._"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's great Auri."

"Well, your Dad has to agree to it."

I nodded, "He will!"

"Don't be so sure."

"He likes you Auri, even you could feel that tonight."

"I shut the gate to your father Furey. I don't want to be connected to him that way ever again. He really hurt my feelings."

"But, he liked that you were angry and that you stuck up for me."

"Your Dad is happy when anyone shows affection for you, that's understandable."

"But it was more than that. He thought you were kind of sexy…angry."

She laughed, throwing her head back. "Your Dad is a piece of work."

"Auri, don't give up on him. Please?"

She grimaced and paused, "Honey, your Dad and I aren't going to happen. He doesn't want to be married and I don't want to marry him."

"Did you hear that Aunt Jen had the baby? Sarah Ann."

She smiled broadly, "Ohhhh! That's great. How are they?"

"Fine. Auri, you'll make a great Mom."

She sputtered, "Thanks Furey, but I'm a little old to be a mother."

The tilted his head quizzically, "But you're already pregnant, aren't you?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Out of the Mouth of Babes**

There are some Intuitives that can sense life and are so tuned in to sentient beings that they can almost tell you the moment of conception. I was praying that Furey wasn't one. I was praying because I had done something really stupid. I had slept with Special Agent Thaddeus Harding the night after I returned from Princeton. I was feeling cheap, humiliated and…well…unlovable.

Thaddeus is 32 and looks like Louis Jordan when he was younger. He's an attorney who entered the Bureau. He's a very bright man with a wicked sense of humor, the type that plays practical jokes all the time. That morning he had put blue cheese dressing in the cream pitcher. Each of us had taken turns drinking our coffee with a blue cheese concoction and spitting it out. The next person would arrive and we would all walk nonchalantly around, but staying somewhat suspiciously close to the coffee corner. You could hear laughter all morning.

Afterwards, we worked on dailies, looking for information on terrorists thought to be in our area. It was a long, boring day, but at the end of it, Thaddeus and I had been laughing over some of the mug shots, almost crying. We had one of those moments where the sexual tension is ripe and I could feel and hear how much he wanted me. I wanted to be wanted and Thaddeus Harding was there, ready and willing to want me. We found ourselves sweaty, naked in a hotel room three blocks from the Bureau, laughing. We both knew that it meant nothing except a romp in the hay. But, I hadn't used birth control and Tad hadn't used a rubber.

"Furey, what do you mean?"

He had looked so innocent. But then his eyes grew wide and his forehead furred, "_My Dad isn't the father_?"

I realized the gate was wide open and Furey was being treated to my thoughts and memories, "Honey, I don't think I'm pregnant."

He jumped up, "Yes, you do!"

I pulled on his wrist to get him to sit down. As calmly as I could I whispered, "Please sit down. I don't know if I am or not. I doubt that I am."

He sat down, "But if you are, you don't think Dad is the father?"

I had to be honest with him because, eventually he would know, "I don't think your father would be the father of the baby…_if_ I was pregnant."

He looked very sad, "But, _could he be?"_

Greg and I had made love several times the last week that I had stayed with them. But, between the two of us, one of us had used birth control. So he would be a long shot.

"Probably not, but there's a slight possibility."

I could feel him get excited again. I needed to throw water on his exuberance, "Furey, listen to me. I am probably _not _pregnant and, _if I am_, your father is probably _not_ the father. I also don't want anyone else to know. Do we understand each other?"

He nodded solemnly, "I won't tell Auri. I promise."

I reached over and looked into the blue eyes that were the carbon copy of his father's, "I know sweetie. I trust you."

"Can I tell him about you moving here?"

"Yes, but we need to do it together."

I took him back to his Dad's where he rushed in as I followed quickly behind.

"Dad!"

Greg had been playing piano. He stopped and looked up, "Yes?"

I opened the gate.

"Dad, Auri is coming back here to live. The FBI is going to move Auri back here to be with me!"

I felt his surprise, suspicion and a mischievous amusement.

"What?" He turned to me, "What is this about?"

"I'm going to be assigned serial killer detail on the east coast and, when I'm not chasing killers, I'll be guarding Furey. If you agree, I'll be helping him too."

He started playing again. I was pretty sure that it was Liszt's Sonata in B Minor. He nodded at Furey, "You go get ready for bed."

Furey went over and kissed his Dad on the cheek and then threw his arms around my neck and planted a big one on my lips. I giggled.

House waited until he went upstairs, "Okay, what's the deal?"

"They want me to teach Furey not only how to use his assets, but how to keep him from using them when he shouldn't."

"Why should I let you?"

I smiled, shaking my head, "Because you're already grateful that I'm here, because you know someone has to do it and, since Teagan's dead, you don't have any options."

"I can say no."

"You won't…you love your son too much."

He kept looking from the keys to me and back, finally shrugging his shoulders in agreement.

"Great, I'll let them know." I turned and started towards the door.

"Auri, I'm' sorry that we didn't get to talk about what happened."

"It probably wouldn't have mattered." I opened the door and left.

************************

This was not the first time that I had been assigned to another part of the country, but it was the first time that I wasn't sure whether I would be returning to San Diego in the next few years. My friend, a property manager, rented my house out in San Diego to a lesbian couple with a small Papillon dog. By the beginning of the year, I was on my way to Philadelphia where I would be stationed with the understanding that I would do most of my work from my home, now located in Princeton, less than a mile from where Furey lived.

I rented a two bedroom house, a simple white clapboard house with a large front porch. Downstairs was the living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and large alcove, where I put a desk, my computer and fax machine. The basement was just off the little alcove. Upstairs there were two almost identical, but large, bedrooms and a bathroom. One bedroom was four feet shorter, because a wall had been installed to add storage. Each bedroom had a small closet. Downstairs there was one closet and a three foot by four pantry, so, storage was at a premium. It had a small, one car garage. The yard in the back was nice with a small patio, built in barbeque and a nice size grassy area.

I didn't bring a lot of my furniture, selling most of it through a consignment shop in San Diego. I furnished the guest room with a double bed, dresser, television, old computer, and books suitable for a young boy. I hung some of my Star Trek memorabilia on the walls to finish it off. It wasn't too Trekish for adults to be comfortable, but I knew a certain boy would like it. At least until the baby arrived.

I was pregnant. After dropping Furey off, I rushed to a drugstore to buy a pregnancy test. There was one that said it could give results within three weeks of conception. I grabbed it and stayed up all night thinking about what I would do if the wand was pink. All my life, I had gone back and forth on the idea of being a mother. One year I'd get "broody" and want a couple of kids. The next year, I was over it and just wanted to concentrate on my job. It was strange, but I wasn't nervous about being a mother. I thought Furey was right; I'd make a good one.

Around 4:30 am, I got up to pee and the little stick turned a bright pink. I had chills go through my body. Sitting down, I started grinning wanting to share the secret with someone, but there was no one in my life to share it with. I got on the internet and started trying to figure out the date that I got pregnant from the date of my last period. The pregnancy calculator seemed to point to Thadeus as the father. I was just happy that I would be on the east coast before I would show. I really didn't want Thadeus involved, and he was the kind that would want to 'do the right thing.' When I did move east, he knew nothing about the little bambino.

I started working a serial murder case in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The killer had dumped one of the bodies near the outlet stores. I had received a package of photos and right away, pulled out the victim from the package of missing girls. I knew it was the lovely brown hair, brown eyed girl with the lopsided smile in the third photo. I was also sent a piece of her clothing which I could see at the bottom of the envelope. I didn't want to touch it this early in the morning, but knew I had to bite the bullet. Every minute of the day was important when you were chasing a serial killer.

I had gone through the profiler's school and had the highest rate of success of any profiler, but then I had a huge advantage. The percentage of cases I worked on that resulted in a conviction was 68%, a high rate, considering profilers are spread thin and only get a short time to work on a case before being assigned to the next one, usually before the case is solved. I was often able to give the authorities enough information to send them in the right direction just by seeing photos of the crime scene or feeling something that had been on the dead victim. If I was unable to get enough information from photos and touching the victim's things, I'd have to go to the crime scene. If that didn't yield enough information, I had to work the case like a regular agent until something popped up.

I couldn't testify at trial because the FBI didn't want my face out in public and they really couldn't put me on the stand. There was no way they could convict anyone if they claimed that my psychic abilities found the guy. So, I always worked with a partner whose sole purpose was to back-track my leads. I would provide important leads and my partner's job was to figure out how the FBI could get from point A to B with the evidence it gathered from my leads. For example, I might say that a girl was killed after the killer followed her from the bus stop. It would be my partner's job to find hard evidence placing the victim on the bus and to then look around the bus stop for evidence placing the killer there. If there was no physical evidence, then he would at least try to find evidence that proved the killer _could have_ been there, i.e. he wasn't at work, no alibi, etc. Of course, back-tracking someone is always easier than trying to find them in the first place.

There were cases where I was useless as a psychic. For some reason, I couldn't pick up on the impressions I needed. Sometimes I knew why, usually it was because someone with a more vibrant personality had handled the objects. But there were times when I couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting any vibrations. I do know that sometimes it has to do with the severity of the weather. If it's been raining hard before I get to the body or objects, the vibrations have typically weakened, sometimes to the point that I can sense they are there, but can't read them. They become blurry. But there were times when I couldn't read the case because the killer was so devoid of any emotion, I couldn't pick up on it or the killer.

I reached into the envelope and grabbed the dirty piece of clothing and pulled it out. I had expected something to hit me as soon as I touched it, but nothing did. I looked at the three inch square of material and couldn't even make out if it had come from a dress, a blouse, pants or what. It was a light twill of a solid green and I was getting only the faintest of vibrations. I put it on the desk and went back to reviewing the documents that had been sent with the package. I always touch the evidence before I read the report so that when I first get my impressions, my mind is free of what someone else had deduced from the crime scene.

I read through the police report, discovering that the victim had only been uncovered because she has been buried near a creek bed behind the outlets and they had washed away with the heavy rains we were having. She was twenty-five and a sales clerk at the Bass Outlet. She had a car, which had been located in the mall parking lot. Apparently, she had been strangled with her own belt. There might have been sexual molestation, but there was no semen and no signs of it that could be detected on the body. But, we just couldn't rule it out. Her name was Letty Rogers.

Unlike all the crime shows on television, more frequently than not, the crime scene provides few, if any, clues. We wish there were spores or hairs or DNA, but the killers are getting too smart and have learned how to cover up their tracks. There is a theory, Locard's Principle of Exchange, which states, when a crime is committed the killer will always leave some evidence at the scene and take some evidence away with him. In theory, this is exactly what happens, at least on the microscopic level. It's important to note that this is just a "theory." For those crime scenes that leave us clueless, we may never know what evidence was left or taken from the scene; we have to catch the killer using other evidence we find.

By the time I had reviewed, researched, wrote my log and catalogued what I knew about the crime, it was 3:50 pm. I had to get up and make dinner. Greg was going to bring Furey over for dinner to see my house. I had invited Greg out of politeness, hoping he would say no, but he was never one to pass up a free meal.

I made one of Furey's favorite dinners, pepperoni and cheese in brochette with cranberry salad and brownies for desert. Around 5:00 pm I went upstairs and cleaned up, dressing in a sweater and jeans. It was very cold outside and snowing. I realized that I hadn't shoveled the new snow from the walk so I grabbed a coat and ran outside, grabbing the shovel. I was shoveling when they pulled up. My ungloved hands were red from the cold and my nose was running. I wiped my nose on my jacket sleeve, making a note to wash it.

Furey raced up to me, giving me a quick hug, "I brought the Star Trek DVD of the trip to Auirgae Beta!"

I laughed, "Sounds like just what we need, a little Janice Lester!"

We went inside and I took their jackets. Greg began looking around immediately. Furey turned to me with a grin and eyebrows raised, "Where's my room?"

Greg looked at his son, "Your room?"

Furey nodded, "Auri's fixed the guest room up for me."

Greg looked at me. I shrugged, "He must have read me. I was thinking about it while I was shoveling the sidewalk. It's up at the top of the stairs to the right."

Furey bounded up the stairs and we heard sounds, "Cool…sick…wow."

"Beer?" I asked.

Greg nodded and followed me to the kitchen. I handed him a beer and went over to check on the food.

Greg tilted his head, "Auri, his own room? Here?"

"I know. But, I was hoping that he could come and stay overnight on occasion."

He frowned, "I'm still not comfortable with him being trained by the government."

I was hurt. I put my hands on my hips, "I'm _not_ the government. I'm someone who has seen Intuitives who have died trying to use their powers improperly and I've seen some so torn up by their talent that they _have to go live in the mountains outside Yosemite…_if you get my drift."

"You guys are arguing." A very sad faced Furey had returned to the kitchen.

Greg took a swig, "I'm drinking, your buddy here is arguing."

"Dad, can I stay tonight?"

"No. You have school tomorrow."

"Maybe on the weekend?" I asked Greg.

"Maybe."

"How's Wilson and Jennifer doing?"

Greg snorted, "Wilson rues the day he wanted a baby. Sleep is a thing of the past."

"I thought they raised Furey when he was a baby?"

Greg was leaning against the counter in a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans. The t-shirt said, "I almost had a psychic girlfriend, but she left me before we met." I read his shirt and started laughing. He busted up too. I turned to see if Furey was laughing and saw him in the alcove next to my desk. It hit me that I had left the photos and piece of clothing on the desk. My heart skipped as I saw Furey reach down for the piece of cloth.

"_No! Furey no!"_

But it was too late; his head jerked back, his body recoiling as if he had been punched in the stomach. He dropped the cloth as if it were a hot coal. I ran into the alcove and grabbed his shoulders. Looking into his eyes I could see what he could see, a man tying a woman to a bed, raping her with a knife to her throat.

The man's face, screwed into a sneer, loomed above her, "When it's over, I'll let you go. Just tell me you like it. Tell me this feels good."

The girl, Letty Rogers, lay under him crying, tears streaming from her eyes to the bed. She was praying, praying to Jesus for salvation. The scene was so intense, I felt like I was going to vomit. Then I realized that Furey was seeing this too. I shook him.

"Furey, Furey. Honey…please, sweetie, come back. Think of Star Trek." I started shooting images of Spock and Captain Kirk into his head and he finally blinked. I could feel his mind coming back to me.

Greg pulled me away from Furey, throwing me back, "What the hell did you do to him?"

I couldn't focus on what Greg was saying; I was still worried about Furey. But I could see that Furey's mind was here with us again. He pushed his Dad away and ran into my arms. I cuddled him and took him to the living room, shutting off the oven as we went through the kitchen. I sat him on the couch, still in a death lock around my chest.

I whispered, "It's okay honey. I'm here, your Dad is here. You're safe, you're safe. Oh honey, I'm so sorry, so sorry."

Greg was looming above us. I could tell that he wanted to grab Furey from me and leave, but I couldn't let him. Not until I could help Furey deal with what he saw.

"Greg, sit down and shut up." I said with as much authority as I could muster.

He sat down, still leaning forward as if he wanted to leave.

"I'm working on a murder case. The cloth he picked up was off the victim's clothes. Furey picked up impressions from it. They were pretty intense."

Greg growled, "How intense?"

"He was raping her at knife point." I admitted. After he was done bearing his teeth at me, I added, "I need to work through this with Furey. It's never easy when you see something like this, especially at his age."

"Yeah, well he wouldn't have if you hadn't left your crap out."

I already felt guilty, "Yes, I know. But you're wrong. Furey is going to start picking up these impressions around him on occasion. He may sit on the bus where a rapist has sat or walk into a cemetery and feel the victim's vibrations. As he gets older, he'll be more in tuned with the darker side of humanity. It's kind of good that he had his first bad impressions with me, it means I can help him through them." Furey was still clinging, eyes tightly closed. I stroked his hair and kissed his head while sending calming impressions through. I looked over at Greg.

"Make yourself useful and check on the food. I'm going to need time alone with Furey."

He shook his head violently, "I'm not leaving you alone with my son."

"Yes, you are. You are if you want him to go home and not have bad dreams tonight."

Greg is an exceptionally perceptive man and knows when someone is telling him the truth. He threw his hands up in defeat and went to the kitchen.

"Furey, when you come to my house, please don't touch anything on my desk unless you ask first. Okay?"

Still clinging and eyes shut, he nodded.

"Okay Pumpkin, I'm going to talk you through this."

"The man you saw is a stranger many miles away." I petted his hair, lowered my voice and sent him calming thoughts.

Furey pulled away from me and with deep fear looked into my eyes, "But Auri, he's not a stranger to you. You've been near him before. If you think about it, you'll know."

I was shocked, Furey wasn't really worried about himself or the girl he saw. I could tell now, he was worried about me. He thought I was too close to this man, that something might happen to me. I pushed Furey away so that he wouldn't be touching me as I thought about the crime scene and the visions I had received from Furey.

I went through them in my head, the feeling of the man in the bed with the girl, the sound of his voice. I thought about the panties, the condom he was wearing. I thought about all of it and then it hit me. This man was familiar. He was the same killer that we had traced in Reston when Furey was kidnapped. The man they picked up and charged was the wrong man. Chills went down my body.

I nodded at Furey, "You're right. But, I don't know him personally, honey. I've been tracking him for the FBI. He's not coming for me. I don't even think he knows me."

Furey nodded, "Be careful though, he's moving again. He knows you got close to him before."

I let out a short chuckle, this kid was already moving past what he saw and was thinking about the case. "Furey, you concentrate on your homework and school. I'll worry about the case. By the way, have you done your homework?"

He shook his head, "Can you help me? It's percentages."

"I think we can do that." I grabbed his hands to see if he was okay. He was still a little shaken, but he was now thinking about homework and whether or not we'd have time to watch the episode of Star Trek he had brought over. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. We got up and went into the kitchen where Greg had managed to pull the brochette out. I asked them to set the table while I prepared the food for serving. When Furey walked out to the dining room, I grabbed Greg's arm, "He seems okay. It shook him up, but now he's worried about his homework. If he asks to sleep with you tonight, let him. He may just need some reassurance."

Greg nodded, then grabbed my wrist, "What are you working on?"

"Apparently, I'm working on the same case I had in Reston when Furey was kidnapped. I didn't know until Furey showed me his impressions." I thought for a second, not sure I should say anything, "Your son's talents are off the chart. He's grown in leaps and bounds this year. He'll surpass Teagan and me. Thank God he's got a good head on his shoulder, because you're either raising the next President of the United States or the AntiChrist."

"Not funny."

"Not meant to be. With his talent, he could manipulate just about situation."

Greg was worried, "I'm not much of a role model for a kid with superhuman abilities to manipulate people."

"_I know_. That's why you have to start acting like a human. You have to let him know it's not okay to press the little red button if you don't like what Kim Jong-il called you."

Furey came in and narrowed his eyes, "Are we going to eat or just whisper about me?"

"Eat." I said, handing him the salt and pepper to put on the table.

After dinner, Furey and I sat down at the table and did his homework while Greg watched television. I didn't have to look up to know that Greg was feeling affection for me. It was the kind of affection you feel for someone who compliments a family member or takes good care of someone you love. He appreciated my relationship with Furey. I let his thoughts come through as Furey did a calculation.

_He loves her like a mother. She treats him like a son. God, she has patience. Five minutes of doing percentages and I would have told him he was a moron for not getting it and that he should go back and read the book. He needs a mother and I need to get laid. But, if we dated, she'd know everything. I wouldn't have any privacy between the two of them. But she'd be good for Furey, calming. We could set up boundaries. I could do worse than Auri._

I could feel myself blush. He was analyzing the situation as if he was putting the pros and cons up on a whiteboard and studying them. I would have said something, but then he would have known I was reading his thoughts. Instead I just laughed to myself. If he knew that I was going to have a baby, he'd run and not look back.

"I think we're done!" I ruffled Furey's wavy brown hair and smiled. He got up, kissed me on the cheek and put his book in his back pack. I realized that in another year, I probably wouldn't be getting kisses without a lot of cajoling. I was going to miss them. Furey was an affectionate child, something he got from his mother.

We joined Greg on the couch, Furey between us, and watched the very last episode of Star Trek. When they first mentioned that they had set course for Aurigae Beta, Furey stopped the DVD and looked up at his Dad.

"See, I told you! Auri's full name is Aurigae Beta Ferrell. Auri, will you name the baby after a Star Trek episode?" The minute he said it, he realized what he had done. His face dropped and his eyes grew wide. He looked at me apologetically.

"Baby? What baby?" Greg asked.

"I'm thinking of getting baby guinea pigs for Furey to raise."

I could feel his suspicion. He wasn't buying it even thought it was the truth. I had seen some in a pet store window and wondered if Furey would like them. Greg tilted his head and his eyes became steely pin lights.

"Really, I saw them in the window at Petco and thought Furey might like them."

He paused and then took the remote from Furey, starting the dvd again. Furey snuck a glance at me and I winked. He smiled.

Later when they went home I thought about my baby and whether or not it would be an Intuitive. The idea frightened me. I watched Furey navigate all the minefields of being Intuitive and I was constantly worried about him. I figured I was six weeks pregnant and I was already worried about my kid. I decided I would try to concentrate on what my child would look like, a cross between Thadeus and me. Probably jet black hair and blue eyes. I thought the kid would be pleasant to look at. His-her father was.

I went to sleep and dreamed. I don't like dreaming about cases, but I kept replaying what Furey had seen. My mind was trying desperately to glean clues from the images. I could see he had a school ring on, one that had a strange shape on the side, but I couldn't make out what it was. There was a date, '98. I could assume he graduated from either college or high school in 1998, making him, 28-34 years old. He had sandy-brown hair and his fingers were stubby and discolored. Did he smoke? Work on machines? Use dyes? I couldn't tell. I just knew that he was satisfied. Letty Rogers hadn't given him what he wanted and he wasn't happy. Letty's body had been in the creek bed for two months, meaning he had probably come up to the Lancaster area after we almost caught him in Reston.

I got up the next morning and touched the green piece of cloth, I could feel it now. See what Furey had seen. I wondered why I couldn't see it before? Did Furey's handling of it amplify it? I didn't know, but I now had something to tell the agents working the case.

**Dear Readers: Hope you're enjoying the story...long chapter today! And you thought it was a House baby! Thank you so much for the reviews; they keep me writing! Gorby!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**The Grilling**

It started in the car, "What's this about a baby?"

I shrugged. "Auri told you."

"I don't buy it. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing."

"Gregory Scott, you're lying to me."

I hated when he called me by my given name; it meant I was in for a long night. "Dad, you should talk to Auri."

He turned and burned a hole in me with his eyes, "_I'm asking you!"_

I stayed quiet. But I could feel his curiosity. He was anxious, afraid that Auri was pregnant with his baby. I figured if that was all that was bothering him, I could put him out of his misery. I turned and looked straight at him when we pulled over in front of the house.

"Dad, you can stop worrying, you're not the father."

I thought he'd be happy, but he wasn't. He was even more upset that he wasn't the father. He didn't want a baby, but he didn't want Auri having someone else's baby. I didn't understand him. He just loved being miserable.

He asked rather sadly, "Is she seeing someone?"

"Some agent named Thad-something."

We went into the house and I went to bed, but I could hear my Dad doing his analytical thing in his head.

_This is better. I sure dodged a bullet. It would never have worked out. No privacy. She takes over, bulldozes her way through your life. This way we can all just be friends. She can see Furey, even babysit while I go out and get some tail. Great, this takes care of a lot. I get my life back. She has a baby. Furey gets her attention and I get to bring new women home. It's a win-win situation. I didn't need a baby anyway. Furey's enough to deal with. His talents require more attention than the average kid. I wonder what it would have been like to have another kid around. Furey will be grown in a few years. He'll be gone and it will be just me and Jack Daniel again. Maybe not, maybe Furey will stay here in Princeton to go to school. Still, another kid running around, making my life more complicated might have been interesting. It probably wouldn't be that bad with Auri here to help. Nah, it's better this way._

I was having trouble following my Dad. He couldn't decide if he was happy or sad that he wasn't going to be a Dad. I do know he felt like Auri had cheated on him, although I don't know why. He was the one who made her feel bad and sent her packing. Auri didn't feel like she had cheated on anyone. She just seemed embarrassed that the baby's father was 'standing one night'. Didn't make sense, but when did people ever make sense? I went to sleep.

The next week went fast and on the weekend I went to stay with Auri. We stayed up in our pajamas Friday night having popcorn and watching sci fi. We were off to the Franklin Institute the next day. I called my Dad on the cell phone he gave me. He sounded bored.

"What are you doing?"

"We're in Philadelphia at the Franklin Institute. It's so cool Dad, you'd love it. We got to walk through the chambers of the heart and play virtual basketball with some NBA players."

"Great. How's the pregnant flatfoot?"

"Fine." I listened and could tell that he wished he could be with us although he'd never admit it. He was lonely without me. I thought back to the other night and about me going away for school. How lonely would he be then? This was only for a few days and already he was bored and cranky.

"Call me when you want to be picked up tomorrow."

"Okay Dad."

There was a long pause.

He finally spoke up, "You usually say something pathetic like, I love you Dad or I miss you."

"Oh! I love you Dad, bye!"

"Love you too." The phone went dead. Once again he left me confused. He always moaned when I showed him affection, but now he was irked because I hadn't told him I loved him. I wanted to scream, he was impossible to understand.

We had the best day together. Auri suggested that the next time I came over, I bring a friend and we could go to a movie and laser tag. After we ate dinner, Auri seemed a little tired.

"Honey, you can stay up until ten, but I'm going to go to bed. I'm not feeling well."

"Okay Auri, good night." I was excited about getting to watch whatever I wanted. I turned on an old episode of 24 and was engrossed in it when I felt a wave of pain from Auri. Something was wrong.

I didn't do anything at first. A few minutes later she came half way down the stairs. "Furey, can you call your Dad to come over and pick you up. I'm not feeling well and I think it would be better if you went home."

"Auri, are you okay?"

"I'm in a little pain, but I'll be okay. Just call your Dad."

I called my Dad and luckily, he was only on his second drink. He drove over and came inside. Auri came down the stairs, standing on the bottom step.

"I'm so sorry. I just feel crappy. You take care Furey, I'll see you sometime this …" She squatted down in pain, holding her abdomen.

My Dad, who was standing next to the front door, was ready to leave, a little upset that he wasn't going to get a visit tonight from one of his friends. He rolled his eyes and walked over to her, sitting down on the step above her. Holding her shoulders, he pulled her up and they stood up together. He walked her upstairs.

"Furey, we'll be here a few more minutes so you can watch some tv."

"Okay, Dad."

I watched the rest of the 24 and then went upstairs. I saw my Dad sitting on top of Auri's bed, his jacket was on the chair. His back was against the headboard and he was holding Auri's head and shoulders in his lap. Auri was under the covers, rolled up like a fetus, crying.

"What's wrong Dad?"

"She's cramping. It means she might lose the baby."

I was so sad. I knew that Auri loved the baby already and had made all these plans in her head, including buying a bigger house for the three of us. I walked over and put my hand on Auri's side. Auri was watching me closely, hoping I could give her good news. I couldn't feel anything, not anymore. Whatever little spark of life had been inside of her was no more.

"I'm sorry Auri. I don't feel anything. I don't feel a baby."

She sobbed and nodded, "I know, honey. I know."

We stayed the night, my Dad sleeping in his clothes on top of the bed, but with his head on the pillow, still holding Auri. When they woke, everyone seemed really sad, although my Dad felt sorrier for Auri than for the baby who had died. I was sorry for all of us, except Dad.

Auri got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower. When she came out she tried to give me a smile, but it was pretty weak. "Sorry Furey, I wasn't a very good hostess. I promise to make it up to you, honey."

"It's okay Auri. I'm sorry about the baby."

She looked liked she might cry. She nodded and whispered, "Me too."

On the way home my Dad was really quiet. Instead of reading his thoughts I decided to just ask, "Dad, were you sorry that Auri lost the baby?"

He winced, "Yes and no. The baby obviously meant a lot to her or she wouldn't have been so upset. But, Auri's single and doesn't have anyone to help her with a baby—"

"_She has us!"_

He turned sharply and looked at me, trying to figure out what to say, "Furey_, _babies are 24/7. They take a lot of time and effort."

"But Mom had me and she was single."

"I know, but…"

I couldn't help it, I read his thoughts.

_How do I say it? I don't want Auri having someone else's kid. I want her to stay available, just in case. I don't want her burdened with some other guy's kid._

I blurted out, "You just want Auri to yourself. You're a very selfish person. If you don't want her to have someone else's kid, why not give her a baby? Then she'd be happy and you'd be happy_."_

"Furey, stay out of my head! I'm not going to bring babies into this world just to make Auri happy."

_"Why not, you do whatever it takes to make yourself happy_. _ Can't you ever do what makes other people happy? Just give her a baby and I'll help her take care of it." _ I was screaming.

I could tell he was angry, his teeth were shut tight together and his eyes were still and cold, "Damn it! I wish that woman had never come into our lives."

"Yeah, well I wish you'd go away and crawl in a hole, you don't care about anybody but yourself."

The minute I said it I knew I was in trouble. He stomped into the house and up to my bedroom. I followed, my heart beating hard, wondering what he was going to do. He grabbed my computer, unplugged it and threw it out the window while I watched. Dad was pretty dramatic sometimes and didn't stop to think what he was doing or how much it was going to cost.

He turned to me, "Great, you can go be with your girlfriend. I need room if I'm going to crawl in my hole."

I grabbed my little suitcase out of the closet and started throwing stuff in it. He grabbed it out of my hands and threw it across the room, "You leave how you came into this house…with nothing!"

"_That's not true!_ My mom brought clothes with her when I came to Princeton."

Dad walked out and came back with a little box. Reaching inside he started grabbing baby clothes, "Yeah, well here. I think you were wearing this when you came to Princeton and I'm pretty sure you had this too. We gave your bottles away or you could take them too._"_

"Can I take what I have on?"

I could see he was losing steam. He stomped out without saying anything. I heard him go downstairs and get something from the refrigerator. I looked out the window and my computer was busted. I was hoping that maybe I could save the hard drive. I ran down the stairs and outside. The hard drive appeared to be okay, so I put it to the side. I found a few more parts that were okay and put them aside. I threw the rest away in the bin. I grabbed what was left and went inside.

"Want something to eat?"

My Dad usually signals that his tantrum is over by offering food or some activity like watching a dvd. We don't talk about it. We just go on as if nothing happened.

"I still want you to give Auri a baby. If I was old enough I would."

He sighed, "Furey, it doesn't work that way."

"Why? Are all your sperm old and shriveled?"

He chuckled, "Maybe, I don't know. It's just that you don't go getting women pregnant on purpose unless you're married or living together and you both agree on it."

"Well, Thad got Auri pregnant and he was just standing one night."

My Dad started howling, laughing really hard. "You moron, he was a one night stand. It means she only had sex with him once."

"Well, see, it only took him _once_. How many times did you sleep with Auri? Maybe your sperm are dried up."

He was still laughing, "Did Auri tell you he was a one night stand?"

"No. But, she was thinking it."

"You have to stop reading everyone's thoughts Furey. It's an invasion of privacy."

"But Dad, you could make her so happy and I'd have a brother or sister."

"Yeah, and I'd have a kid to raise for another 18 years, send through college, pay for braces. I'm done with this conversation. I'm not going to impregnate Auri so that you can play being a big brother. She'll have to go out and have another standing one night." He laughed again and gave me a bowl of cereal.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Wishes**

He walked me up the stairs and into the bedroom. I climbed into bed as he put his cane down and sat on the bed. "You're cramping. It probably means that you're losing the baby.

My face must have expressed how shocked I was that he knew I was pregnant.

"I managed to get it out of Furey…lots of threats, bribes of computer games in the future. You know what I mean. You should probably put on a Kotex."

"I already did." I crumbled up from the cramping and started crying.

He sounded frustrated, "Oh, for God's sake, come here."

He pulled me into his lap and stroked my hair as I continued to sob uncontrollably. Furey came upstairs and felt for the baby, but couldn't feel a presence. I already knew that, but was hoping I was wrong. He went out and Greg continued to stroke my hair and head softly, calming me down. After awhile he slipped down on the bed still dressed and lying on top of the covers. Putting his arms around me, we fell asleep. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that having him there was comforting and made me feel safe. He didn't say much to make me feel better; but he stayed when I know he wanted to run.

************************

Contrary to popular belief, there's really very few serial killers that leave a "signature," a common, personal touch that is left at the scene of the crime. They don't usually paint a cross above the corpse or put bright lipstick on the victim or cut a sign into the abdomen. That's a myth. They may commit their crime in the same way each time, because they're comfortable with doing it that way or it gets them off. They may take a souvenir, but they don't usually advertise who they are. They would prefer that we not link their crimes together. The more commonality between the crimes, the easier it is to find them. They know this, so they usually don't leave us a "signature."

We had determined that our suspect would rape his victims, using a condom, and then have them put on their panties again. When they were dressed, believing that the worst was over, he strangled them with a cord, belt, pantyhose, anything that was available. There was no signature, just dead women with something wrapped around their neck or buried in ten inches of concrete or a creekbed.

At first they didn't want to believe that they had the wrong guy. But, the head honcho, Joseph Persichini stepped in and took over. He immediately notified the two teams that they needed to combine their efforts because they were dealing with the same perp.

"If Agent Ferrell says it's the same guy, it's the same guy." Persichini told them Philadelphia had never worked with me and still didn't trust my gifts. But Persichini knew them all too well.

It was good that I was busy; it helped me deal with the idea that I wasn't going to be a mom. I had been working four weeks straight, only taking off one day a week to be with Furey. He'd come over on a Friday or Saturday night and spend the next day with me and then I'd take him back to his father's.

One Saturday, Greg asked me to drop him off at the Wilsons'. I took them the gift I had bought the new (now over six weeks old) baby, a couple of cute twelve month dresses. Of course it was expected that I hold the baby. I sucked it up and oohed and ahhed. Sarah was a gorgeous baby with the deepest brown eyes and pretty smile. Furey took her from me, sensing my sadness at holding a baby that wasn't mine, and played with her. He really was good with Sarah. After another twenty minutes, I gave Furey a hug and a kiss and left him playing outside with the neighbor's kids. I had forgotten to ask why Greg needed for me to drop Furey at Jim's. But it didn't matter.

I drove down to Princeton to get a Starbucks. Parking the car, I ran in out of the rain. Standing in line was Greg House with a red head under his arm. I laughed to myself. Now I knew why I had to deliver Furey to the Wilsons. _Good for him. _It was the perfect opportunity for me to approach him about Furey's vacation. "Greg?"

He turned around and at first he winced and then blushed. He slowly took his arm from around the redhead. I almost laughed. When she turned around, I could see why he was with her. She was maybe late twenties and hot. What a 56 year old man wanted with such a young woman…well, it could only be one thing.

I smiled at the young woman, "Hi, I'm Auri Ferrell. Sorry to bother you." I looked back at Greg, "I dropped Furey off at the Wilsons. But, I was wondering if you would let me take him on vacation during his spring break?"

Greg was next to order, "Tricia, what would you like?"

The red head said in a rather odd, wobbly voice, "Mocha Frappachino."

Greg turned to the clerk, "I'll have a Columbian with sugar and crème." He paused and I could feel he was unsure what to do, "Auri? What would you like?"

_Greg is going to buy me coffee?_ "Whatever you're having."

I almost laughed; he was trying not to think about what was happening so that I couldn't read his thoughts.

_Ben Franklin had gout…yeah, she's young…Franklin had a bastard son. She probably wants to know what a middle aged man is doing with a young babe. Well let her. Tricia's hot. She looks good on my arm. Nice body. It's a small world after all…it's a small world…Okay, she's not as good as Auri in bed. But she can learn…it's a small world after all. It's a small world after all…Oh good, here's her Columbian…maybe I can get her to leave._

I started sniggering at his indecision, he was so conflicted.

"Can we just sit for a minute?" I pointed to a table.

He nodded and guided the woman over to the table. As we walked I listened to her thoughts.

_Who is this woman and who is furry? She's pretty. I'm hotter and younger. I wonder how he knows her? He's nervous though; she might be his boss. He said his boss was a woman and lived nearby. I don't know. Do I want to get involved with someone old enough to be my grandfather?_

I laughed to myself. Greg wasn't quite old enough to be her grandfather, but she obviously didn't know how old he really was.

_And that leg. He probably won't take me skiing. I wonder if he'd pay for me to go? He's odd, maybe too odd. Can't go dancing. He's cool in his own way, but that scar is a real turn-off. Hard to give head when you're staring at it._

I immediately felt protective of Greg. I hadn't had any problems because of the scar. It wasn't pretty, but it was part of him and you take the person warts and all. I turned and gave her a stern look. Greg caught it too.

I sat down, "Look, I won't stay long and you two can get back to planning your ski weekend."

Greg cocked his head and furred his brow at my non sequitur.

"The spring break is next month and I promised Furey," I turned to the redhead, "not furry, that I would take him camping. I thought I'd take him out to San Diego to see his grandmother and go camping the last four days of the break. I think it would be good for him." I shrugged my shoulders, "Heck, it would be good for me."

Tricia turned to Greg, "Who's Furey?"

"My son."

She motioned to me, "Is this your ex?"

He sputtered, "Good God, no. She's a friend of Furey's." He turned back to me. He had been thinking that if Furey was gone, he might take a short vacation somewhere himself.

I thought I'd yank his chain, "While I have Furey, you two could maybe plan a fun vacation in Aspen while Tricia goes skiing."

He looked at me, knowing something was up. He was desperate to find out what the red head thought of him.

He nodded, "Okay, he can go. My Mom will be in seventh heaven."

"I'll stay with friends while he stays with her." I got up, "Well, nice meeting you Tricia. Bye Greg. Thanks for the coffee."

He stood up too, "I'll walk you out to the car."

I knew he wanted to ask me what the red head was thinking. He was one of the most vain, self-conscious, guys I knew. I stepped outside and he grabbed my elbow. There was nothing psychic about it, but when I turned to look in his eyes, we exchanged something sensual, a longing. I didn't want him to think I had the hots for him, so I looked away.

"Okay, what does she think about me?"

"What makes you think that I know anything?"

"From the inferences in there. What's this ski trip?"

I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure what to tell him, "Okay, I will tell you this. She wants you to send her on a ski trip. If you go, fine, if you don't, as long as you pay for it, she'll be happy."

His face dropped. I realized that I had just swung a huge blow at his ego. He was sure the woman was enamored with him, his wit and his blue eyes.

"Greg, she does think you're cool. But she doesn't appreciate you, not like I…" I realized what I was going to say. I thought quickly, "Like I think others appreciate you."

He smiled, knowing full well what I was going to say to him. I turned and walked off.

"Hey Auri!"

I turned and looked at him.

"I like the way you walk…you've got attitude."

"Yeah, well watch me walk away _from you!"_

I heard him laugh.

*********************

I had managed to identify the murderer as much as I could. I would get an image of him and then he'd change his appearance, drastically. He was truly talented at morphing into someone else. I had given a sketch to the various law enforcement agencies each time I picked up an image. They were beginning to think I was nuts because the sketches kept changing. I had one name, Ed Oslow, but I knew this was an alias. We found that the name had been used in Reston. Things had gone quiet which wasn't unusual. The killer frequently killed one or two women and then went dormant for months. I wasn't getting any feelings that he was active, so I thought it was safe to take Furey to San Diego.

I had a feeling that Furey needed something, a connection to his talent, a connection to his roots. And it was clear that I was the only one who seemed to know that. Greg was oblivious.

I saw Greg around town a few times with the redhead and once with a blonde. When we would greet each other, I always felt this strange sensual exchange. I have to admit I reciprocated. It was as if we could jump each other right there in the street. But, of course, we didn't. And of course, we ignored the feelings and each other, except to exchange pleasantries or information about Furey.

I drove over to their townhouse a week before we left on spring break and gave Greg a list of things to pack for Furey, who was excited beyond belief. His father gave me $500 and told me to use it on, "whatever."

I shook my head quickly, "I plan to pay for the trip."

"Take it. Use it to have fun."

I nodded, "Fine. You have my cell phone. Thanks for offering to give us a ride to the airport."

"No problem."

***************************

Leaving Trenton for San Diego was interesting. House gave his son a nice, fatherly hug and waved as we went through security. I thought he'd take off, but he just stood there watching until we were out of sight. I had the distinct impression that he was already lonely.

"Have you met any of the women your Dad is dating?"

He wrinkled his nose and frowned. "I met Tricia. Dad's weird."

I laughed, "Why is your Dad weird?"

"He's only dating her because he says she looks good on his arm"

I chuckled, "Well, she certainly does."

"Yeah, but she annoys him. He still keeps asking her out though. I think he's lonely."

"Well, I can understand that. We all like the company of others. Your Dad is just human after all."

He grinned, "I did catch him comparing her to you."

I didn't want to seem too curious. "Really?"

"She may be better looking, but she could take some pointers in the bedroom from Auri."

I blushed.

"He also thought she only had half your brain cells._" _ He smiled, "At least he doesn't think about that lady in the mall."

"Lady in the mall?"

"A long time ago he ran into this woman in the mall and I could feel that they really cared about each other. He used to think about her on occasion when he wasn't thinking about Mom. Now he just thinks about you and Mom…and sometimes these other women, but usually he just thinks about them being naked."

I shook my head, "We really have to work on you and boundaries. Your Dad is entitled to his mental privacy."

We were met at the San Diego International Airport by Blythe House. She gave me a ride to my friend's house and then whisked Furey up to her home in Del Mar. I told them I would pick Furey up on Monday morning to go camping.

I spent two nights with Thadeus. It was rather exciting since we both knew it was pure lust we were interested in, nothing more, nothing less. We stayed in his apartment, barely getting out of bed to go potty or take a shower. It was hilarious when I did get up on Monday and dressed to go. I was bowlegged. I had been ridden hard and put away wet. But, boy, it had been fun. As I was leaving we were both giggling.

He gave me a pinch on my butt, "Next time you're in town, warn me a few weeks before so I can do some training."

I kissed him hard, "Sounds like a deal." I gave him a big, wet kiss. He played with my breasts.

"You know what? Maybe we could just have a quick one for the road?"

I slapped his arm, "I have a nine year old to pick up. I can't very well go pick him up smelling like I just had sex. You're just going to have to wait for the next time I fly out or you come out to see me."

He smiled, "I think I'm going to make a trip back to see you one of these weekends."

I rubbed his cheek, "That sounds good to me."

I drove to Del Mar and found an excited Furey waiting at the window for me. Blythe House was waiting too, with a fresh pot of coffee, eggs and bacon.

I really wanted to just get on the road, but she needed to know more about me, know that I was okay to take her grandson.

She led me into the kitchen, "Just a few minutes, eggs and bacon. Coffee, orange juice?"

"Sure."

I sat down and looked around; the house was too new to be Greg's childhood home. It was a beautiful home, worth a fortune where it was located. I waited patiently even though I really wanted to get going.

"Mrs. House…"

"Blythe."

"Blythe. I want you to know that I was Teagan's friend and knew her quite well. Your grandson has her talent."

She chuckled, "You mean, he's intuitive? That's the word for it, right? Well, he's been reading my mind since he was four."

"Yes, like his mother. I'm intuitive too, which is why I was able to save Furey when he was kidnapped."

"You were the agent that was shot? The one that saved Furey?"

I nodded, "Didn't Greg tell you?"

She shook her head, "I was sick and couldn't fly back. He didn't want to upset me. I read about the kidnapping in the newspaper a month later. I…I don't know what to say, except thank you." She hugged her Grandson to her, "He means the world to me."

Furey rolled his eyes.

I nodded. I could feel the love in her for Furey."He's lucky to have so many people in his life who love him."

"Yes. Greg's a good father isn't he?"

I chuckled, "He's different, but effective. They do well together and Furey adores his father."

"Greg has always been different, hard to manage. As a child, he would be happy go lucky and then mean and angry. He was never one that could tolerate the grease that makes the wheels turn in society. He found it false. Unfortunately, the thing he hated wasn't a problem when he was deceitful or manipulative. He just hated it when someone was dumb and tried to manipulate him, thinking they were getting away with it."

I drank my orange juice. I blurted out, "He's frustrating."

"Yes, but I saw the way he was around you when you were all here. You're good for him."

I shook my head, "Sorry Blythe, but we tried each other out and it wasn't a good fit."

Furey looked up from his eggs, "I told Dad he should get you pregnant and then things would work out. You'd stay with us and we'd be a family."

I turned bright red, "Furey, you didn't say that, did you?"

"I sure did. He didn't want you to be pregnant by Thad, the one night stand. So I told him after you lost the baby that he should get you pregnant and make you happy."

I jumped up and backed up. Blythe was as shocked as I was.

"Blythe, I think we need to get on the road. Furey and I have a lot to talk about."

Blythe wasn't sure she wanted her grandson to go with me. Not after all the talk about her son getting me pregnant. But I steam rolled right out of there.

"Good bye Blythe. Here's my cell phone number if you should need it." I grabbed up Furey's things and ran to the car. We quickly piled into the rental and took off. When we were on the road I tried to think of what to say.

"I know, you're afraid my grandmother thinks you're a bad influence. She'll be okay. After all, you risked your life for me. That says a lot, doesn't it?"

"Furey, you need to stop telling your father things to get him to like me or make us all a family. I'll always think of you as my family. But …"

He blew out air and droned, "But you and Dad are never going to get together."

"Right."

He blew more air out, as if he was terribly frustrated. "Auri, where are we going?"

"Some place very special, _very special_. But it's going to be a very long ride…a whole day."

"Ah man! A whole day?" He moaned and grimaced.

I nodded and chuckled, he wanted to get wherever we were going fast. But, it took two fill ups, one lunch and two pit stops to pee before we made the last leg of the trip.

"Okay, are you going to tell me now?" He asked.

"Not yet, but we're almost there."

We stopped at the lodge and I went up to the door and retrieved the key, making promises to return soon. I drove to the intersection, took a left and then drove a quarter of a mile. It all looked so familiar, one of the few places that hadn't changed much. I pulled into the drive.

Furey looked over at me, puzzled. "It feels familiar, looks familiar. Like I've seen it in photos."

We got out and went up the steps of the cabin. I turned to Furey, tears spilling over from my eyes and smiled, "Furey, welcome to Aspen Valley. This was your Mom's cabin." I looked around. I could feel her all around me and I knew Furey was feeling her too, "Baby, this was where you were born."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**My Mom**

I felt like crying. So many imprints of my mother were attached to the cabin. Even walking up the steps to the porch I could see her looking out, waiting for my Dad's car to pull up. She was so happy here. I could feel her love pouring out of every splinter of wood. I was disoriented; so many visions were hitting me at once that I fell down. Auri ran over to check on me.

"Honey?" She touched me and immediately felt what I was feeling. But instead of being overwhelmed, she smiled, "See, now you know how much love there was inside of your Mom. You need to feel her, know that she loved you more than anything in this world. Your mother has never left you, she's always there." She sat down and started holding me, rocking back and forth, "I'm trying to tell you, that you don't need a substitute mother, she's still with you. Besides, you have many people who love you and care about you and care for you. You don't need to match your Dad up with anyone, including me."

I didn't quite understand what she meant, but we went inside. I was looking around when Auri went out to get wood for the stove. She told me to put my bags in this tiny bedroom. I immediately flashed on my mother. She was lying on the bed in so much pain. I couldn't diffuse the pain; it was so intense that I screamed. I fell on the bed and the pain started to go away. I saw my Mom holding me and crying, laughing and crying. Her love was like a tidal wave crashing down on me, almost drowning me. I couldn't breathe. Auri must have heard me choking because she ran inside. She threw me over her shoulder and got me out of the room.

"Oh Furey, I didn't realize you'd absorb it so deeply. You're like a sponge and you just got oversaturated. I tell you what; let's go for a walk and then you and I will try to tackle that room later."

"Auri? I was born in that room, wasn't I?"

"Yes, honey, I think you were. At least your Dad once told me you were born here at the cabin and it would make sense you 'd be born in that bed."

"Why didn't she go to a hospital to have me, like normal people?"

I think I sounded mad, which isn't what I wanted. Auri gave me a scowl. "Your mother had you here because…because it seemed natural to have you somewhere that she loved."

Auri handed me a bottle of water and we began to walk through forests and meadows. I kept seeing my mother laughing, running with a dog, carrying baskets, picking berries.

"Did my Mom have a dog?"

Auri shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know honey."

"Did she pick berries?"

Auri gave me sad smile, "Sorry honey, I only know she loved it here more than anywhere in the world. When I came here with her, we hiked all over Yosemite."

On the way back from our walk, we went to the lodge to eat dinner. A dozen people came out of the woodwork to stare at me. They created quite a fuss, touching me, hugging me, tossing my hair, oohing and ahhing. I was embarrassed.

A rather stocky woman with wavy brown hair waved over a man, "Oh my God, Luke, come see Gumby, he's so big!" She looked down at me, "Stand up and give me a hug!"

Auri and I looked at each other at the mention of Gumby. Auri motioned for me to stand up, "Furey, this is Yolanda, she knew your Mom really well."

As she hugged me, I saw images of her and my mother staring at the man, Luke, who was setting up a crib. Then I saw my Mom bringing in boxes of pies and everyone sitting around laughing. I even picked up images of them rushing my mother to the hospital and me staying with them for a few nights. It was weird, but these strangers had a lot of affection for me and I didn't even remember them.

"Auri, when you get into the park, you've got to stop at the clinic and let Dr. Medina see Gumby. Sylvia too. She's working at the Ahwanee." The lady looked at me, "She was one of your Mom's friends."

The man, Luke, with big hands, came over and shook my hand, I could feel his affection for me and for my Mom, "Wow, you've sure grown. Sad to say, you don't look a thing like your Mom. You're all Greg House, aren't ya?"

Auri nodded, "I'm afraid he is."

"Well, do you have your Mom's talents?"

I nodded, "Yes, sir. I'm intuitive."

He laughed, "Intuitive, hell! Your mom was psychic…scary sometimes."

Another wiry man came through the door that I immediately felt was someone who knew my Mom. I flashed on him and my Mom, with a dog between them."

"Fred! Come here and say hi to Teag's son, Gumby."

Fred perked up and walked over, "Howdy. Boy last time I saw you was at your Mom's funeral. You were just a little baby!" He turned to Auri, "Hey, ain't you that friend who fell into the cascades?"

Auri nodded and smiled.

"Why do you guys call me Gumby?"

Yolanda looked at her husband and shrugged her shoulders, "It's what your Dad always called you. It kinda stuck."

I thought about it and realized they were right. I saw images of my Dad at the funeral, sad and somber as they buried my mother in a …blackberry patch? Dad had stopped calling me Gumby and started calling me by my last name after Mom died. I wondered why.

We stayed and ate, everyone sitting at our table was telling me story after story about my Mom. I had a great time listening. We were laughing, crying and enjoying everyone's memories. Fred promised to take me to my Mom's grave in the morning. By the time we left, I had been fed a ton of food as well as petted and hugged more than I had been in my whole life. It was nice to know that everyone loved my Mom. Even better was that fact that I actually got to talk about her, ask questions, get answers. She seemed so alive listening to them describe her. She wasn't just a figment of my imagination, someone I had to make up stories about in my head. I wondered why Dad never talked about her to me?

We walked home despite warnings of bears in the areas. Auri wasn't afraid of anything, which was something I loved about her. We got inside the cabin and she made up the sofa bed for me. I couldn't believe that my Mom lived in the cabin for so long. There was electricity, but it was run off of solar panels and sometimes it ran out when there was no sun. The stove and oven was a big black wood-stove contraption. The cabin was heated by the fireplace in the living room. It was really primitive, so different from all the gadgets and comforts in our house in New Jersey.

Apparently, people paid good money to stay and rent the cabin, although Yolanda said that few of them actually cooked on the stove. Most of them went up to the lodge for their meals. Yolanda said that I owned the cabin in a trust and Dad was the trustee. She and Luke took care of the renting, cleaning and maintaining of the cabin. My Dad let them keep half the rental fees for their services.

My Mom wasn't buried on the property though. She was buried on National Park (Yosemite) property with special permission from the government. They buried her in a field near the blackberry patch where she picked blackberries to make pies that she sold in the lodge. Everyone said that they missed her pies.

When we woke up in the morning, I was so excited about going and seeing my Mom that I didn't want to take the time to get the stove going and cook. But Auri insisted I learn how to get it started, so we did and we managed to make oatmeal. It was freezing in the cabin so Auri sent me out to get some logs. We started a fire in the fireplace and the cabin started to warm up.

Auri and I sat in the living room next to the fire eating our oatmeal. "It's a lot warmer in the summer." She assured me.

"I don't mind. I like it here."

There was a knock on the door and I opened it. Fred was standing on the porch.

"You guys ready to go see Teags?"

Auri smiled, "Come on in Fred, we just have to brush our teeth and grab our jackets."

Fred was a gray haired man with a friendly smile, but a quiet kind of guy. He had been pretty lively last night talking about my Mom and his dog. He told me that his dog liked my Mom's cabin better and so the dog spent most of her time with her. Everyone, but the locals, thought Mom owned the dog because it was always with her. But when Mom would go somewhere like New Jersey, the dog would simply go home to Fred's. I could tell that my Mom must have loved the dog a lot, because a lot of the imprints included her.

Auri and I got ready and started walking down the road with Fred who talked about the day I was born. He said Mom spent the day on Fred's porch, waiting for me to be born. He worked while she rocked and had contractions. We had to hike a few miles through woods until we came to a field. I immediately knew we were close, not because I could feel Mom, but because I could feel the imprint of my Dad.

"Auri are you feeling it?"

She nodded, "Your Dad, huh?"

I nodded, "There's a lot of memories for him here."

We walked a hundred yards and there were the blackberry brambles with their white blossoms. Under the tree was a large rock which looked out of place. I looked up at Fred and saw that he was crying.

He tried to wipe his tears without us seeing. Pointing under the tree he said, "She's buried under the rock. Molly's buried next to her."

I went over and sat down under the tree next to the rock and I could feel her around me. I started to cry and so Auri sat down and put her arm around me, letting me cry into her shoulder. After everything I heard about her, I wish I could have known my Mom. She sounded cool, a real woodsman.

"You guys know how to get back?" Fred asked.

Auri and I both nodded. We could follow the imprints even if we got lost.

Fred excused himself and instead on going back towards the cabin he went a different way, into the woods.

I looked at Auri, "You know he grows marijuana back there."

Auri laughed, "Shhhh, I'm a cop, I'm not supposed to know that, especially since it's being raised on federal land!"

We both laughed. There were no blackberries yet, just blossoms, but I could see my mom picking them in the heat with me lying on a blanket in the field. The dog was lying next to me keeping watch for bears and coyotes. I was beginning to understand why my Mom loved it so much here. I did too.

We spent the rest of the day close to the cabin. The next day we hiked around Hetch Hetchy and Carrion Falls. All day long Auri kept reading my thoughts and saying something about them, making comments, sometimes making fun of them. It seemed she did a running commentary of what I was thinking, including when I was thinking about farting and taking a pee and other things that embarrassed me.

"Auri, you always tell me not to read people. You're embarrassing me!"

"I am?"

"Yeah, if I wanted you to know I cut a fart, I would tell you."

"Hmmm…have I invaded your privacy?" She asked with her eyes narrowed.

It finally hit me what she was doing. She was making a point about how it felt to have someone listening when you didn't want them to listen.

I gave her a dirty look, "I get it. I need to understand boundaries."

We were sitting on a log by the cascades. She nodded, "When I was your age, I used to read everyone around me, afraid that if I didn't, then I wouldn't know what they wanted from me. What happened was that I was what everyone else wanted me to be and not who I should be. You're going to be tempted more and more to read people. But until you're an adult, it's only going to make things worse for you. You won't understand the full import of this conversation we're having for a few years, but at some point, when reading someone you care about backfires again, you'll think back to today and it will make sense."

"I think I understand. I kind of messed up when I fed you all those images about being married to my Dad."

"That's right." She handed me a juice box, "Furey, some people aren't going to like you and that's okay. It doesn't feel good, but you have to learn that we live in a world with billions of people and out of those billions there are going to be people who dislike you. The odds are just there."

It made sense. I understood things like that. Mathematically, not everyone I meet is going to like who I am. Of course, when it came to my Dad, the odds were more in favor of people _not_ liking him.

I really loved Auri, she had a neat way of talking to me like I was a kid, but an adult too. And she wasn't afraid to talk about my Mom or bring me here, where I could get to know her. I grabbed her and hugged her, almost knocking both of us over into the cascades.

"_Whoa!" _She laughed loudly, "This is where I fell into the cascades before. I was pretty beat up by the time I climbed out. I was lucky I didn't die or break some bones."

We hiked back and had dinner again at the lodge. Yolanda and Luke wouldn't let us pay for the food. More people came in who knew my Mom and I heard more about her. It was cool. We got back to the cabin, stoked the fire and went to bed. I was dead tired from all the hiking. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

When I woke up, Auri already had the stove going. We had hot chocolate, oatmeal and raisins.

"Auri, can we go back out to my Mom's grave?"

"Sure, but is there a reason?"

"I'd like to take her some flowers and I saw some up the road in the field."

She softened immediately. "Sounds like a good plan, and _then_ we go into the park and do some hiking."

"Cool."

We went to the area where some wildflowers were blooming and picked them. As a result of Auri's lesson the previous day, I had turned off all my wiley senses…

We were joking and laughing as we climbed over the fallen logs and through the soggy leaves. I recognized the last part of the trail leading to the field where my Mom was buried. We grew quieter. As soon as we crossed the field to the tree, I smiled. I was pretty sure that my Mom would have loved the flowers I had picked for her.

I put them down and said a little prayer, turned and saw Auri's face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth had dropped open. I looked in the direction of her gaze. Standing at the edge of the field, crossing towards us was my Dad, cane in hand, backpack on, he shook his head and started towards us.

I started running towards him, "Dad! Dad!"

He smiled as I grabbed him and hugged him. "Hey Furey, how's it hangin, Dude?"

Auri stayed by my Mom's grave as we walked towards her. I tried not to read him, after everything Auri had said the day before, but he was broadcasting…not thoughts, but feelings. Being in that field was hurting him. He had a smile on his face, but he was miserable.

Auri came forward, "Greg, we can feel how hard this is for you. Let's get you back to the cabin."

He shook his head, "You and I have to have a discussion on why my son is here, but while we're here, I'd like to see my wife's grave."

He walked over and looked down, the large rock placed just to the side of the tree roots which stuck out of the ground. Dad looked up as if he was noticing the tree for the first time. "If you didn't know Teag was under the rock, you'd never know she was buried here. It's a pine isn't it?"

Auri nodded, "Joshua pine. She would have liked it this way. She wouldn't want her grave to disturb the look of her favorite meadow."

My Dad nodded, "Yeah, that's true." He turned and looked over the green field covered with waves of purple flowers. I could feel his heartache.

"Dad why does this place mean so much to you?"

He looked down at me and shook his head, sighing as if he was about to cry. His heart was so heavy; I was starting to understand why he didn't want to talk about Mom. If it felt like this, I wouldn't want to talk about her either.

"It's just that this meadow meant a lot to your mother and I, in a lot of different ways."

I could start seeing visions of them picking berries and sitting down, eating. Then it hit me, a vision so clear I felt as if I was there. My mother was beautiful, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze, her skirt wrapping around her legs. She was looking over the field, waiting for something. Then she saw the dog come through the forest into the clearing, my Dad following just behind. My Mom was both excited to see Dad, but nervous. She looked down at me, I was tiny, just an infant.

"Dad? I see Mom here and you walking through the field. I'm on a blanket…I was maybe a couple months old."

My Dad collapsed to the ground, sitting with one knee on the ground, the other bent up. His shoulders were hunched over, heaving up and down. He was crying. I looked at Auri, her eyes wide and full of caring. She rushed over and sat down, holding my Dad in her arms. I felt strange just standing there while Auri let my Dad cry into her shoulder. It was weird; I wasn't used to my Dad crying. I felt like I had done a bad thing.

I was panicking, "Dad, I'm sorry. We can leave. I was just curious. Sorry, Dad."

Dad pulled his head up and looked at me, shaking it, "You shouldn't be sorry. I know I don't say much about your Mom and it makes you feel like you didn't have one. But, I still feel as if I should have saved her for you, for me. I think of her and all I can feel is loss." He took a deep breath and looked around the meadow and brambles, "Being here reminds me that there was more to your mother than the fact that she died of a tumor. It's painful, but Furey, it's alright. This is good pain. I'm feeling your mother too. Maybe not like you and Auri, but in a good way. Maybe now, I can think of her life rather than her death." He looked into Auri's eyes.

Auri smiled at him, "Then tell him about the meadow. Tell him about when you came through the woods."

I wasn't surprised that Auri had seen the vision too. Dad didn't start right away. The wind was cool, but we were all now sitting in the sun and it felt good. I looked at the meadow and could tell why my Mom loved it. You couldn't help but love this Meadow. It was green with purple flower swaying in the wind. The blackberry blossoms were white against the spring green of the bushes. The forest at the edge of the meadow looked peaceful and inviting with the tall pines. On the other side of the brambles was a stream, so clear you could see every rock on the bottom.

Dad took a deep breath and patted the ground next to him for me to sit by him. I got up and went over. He put an arm around me and sat hugging me, kissing the side of my head. Then he pointed at the brambles, "Your Mom could have been rich. With her talents she could have worked for the FBI permanently like Auri, or she could have used her talents to make money off of people who were missing loved ones or wanted to contact someone who was dead. But she found it hard to deal with everyone's pain and so she retreated here. This was her sanctuary. She picked blackberries in this meadow and made blackberry pies that she sold at the lodge for money. She worked in Yosemite as a maid and waitress as well as doing other odd jobs to make a living. She was fearless. I remember her going out one night and confronting a bear with pots and pans. The bear backed down, not your Mom."

I grinned; I could just see her trying to scare off the bear with pots and pans. "Cool."

"She and I broke up for awhile. Mostly because your Dad is pretty stupid when it comes to women." He shot a glance at Auri, who was subconsciously nodding her head. "I was in Yosemite for a conference and decided to visit. It was an unexpected visit, but your Mom could sense that I was coming. I found her out here picking berries. You were just a tiny thing lying on a blanket. I didn't even know you existed and there you were, on the blanket. So, you see, the first time I lay eyes on my baby son was right over there. It changed my life, our lives, forever. Your Mom didn't know what to do and I wasn't exactly on my best behavior, but we worked it out. Your Mom was amazing. She managed to live up in the mountains on very little money. But she didn't mind. Material things were unimportant to her. Being safely away from the pain of others meant more to her than having things."

"Did she really cook on that stove?"

My dad chuckled, "Yeah, I don't know how she did it every day…and she was good at it. Her pies were the best."

"Dad, why did you come?"

He looked over at Auri. "Auri wanted to take you camping. It finally dawned on me that she'd probably bring you up here. I called the lodge and found out that she had booked the cabin…so she's paying _you_ $500 to stay in your own cabin."

I looked at Auri who shrugged away my Dad's words. "Why Auri? You didn't have to rent it…we could have just stayed here."

"I wanted it to be a secret."

Dad looked at her, "The lodge is returning the money, so don't worry. " He continued to look at Auri, "I was angry at first, when I realized what you were doing. I felt you were intruding, making Furey face something I didn't think he was old enough to face. But, as I got closer and remembered everything I shared with Teags here, I realized that I had made a huge mistake staying away. Furey has a right to be around the things that made him Mom who she was."

Auri pulled some blades of grass out of the ground and then looked up to meet my Dad's stare, "I'm glad you see it that way. I was worried what you would do when you found out."

"Dad, Auri and I are going to go hike to Vernal Falls today."

He grimaced but then nodded, "I'll come with you."

Auri was worried and it showed on her face. I was trying not to read thoughts after Auri's lecture. My Dad tended to broadcast his emotions to me, so I figured they were fair game. She turned to my Dad, "Greg, it's a 1,000 foot ascent in about one and a half miles. We go over some pretty rough areas in the rock fall."

His nostrils flared in frustration, "_I've been to Vernal Falls. I know what I'm getting into._" He calmed down, "It just means we take our time. Okay?"

I nodded happily. I was excited about going on a hike with my Dad.

Auri smiled too, "Okay!"

We loaded up in Dad's rental, which was a SUV and drove through the forests to the gates of Yosemite. I was really excited, I couldn't remember being in Yosemite, even though everyone told me I had been. It was beautiful and there weren't many people in the park. Dad was driving and Auri was looking out the side of the window when we came to a meadow. She pointed out to the field and I followed her finger.

I blurted out, "Oh wow! Wolves!" The two foot high dog-like animals had beautiful gray, brown and white fur covering their bodies, and a big bushy tail.

Dad shook his head, "Nope, those are Yosemite coyotes. They're frequently mistaken for wolves, but they're coyotes. Your Mom told me that there are no wolves in California, not anymore. But the coyotes are cool, aren't they?"

"Yeah…man they sure look like wolves." I sat back in my seat, "Dad, when Mom fought off the bear, did you see it?"

He looked in the rear view mirror, "We saw them almost every night crossing the road or in your Mom's yard. They liked the garbage people leave out. Your Mom didn't leave out garbage, but the people who camped by the lodge did."

We drove along the Merced River which winds through the Yosemite Valley. It was full and fast from the spring rains. I thought it was beautiful. "Dad, is this the river that runs off of Vernal Falls?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Vernal Falls empties into this river. Your Mom's favorite river was the Tuolumne which runs up in the high Sierra parts of the park."

I leaned forward and touched Auri's shoulder, "Auri? Can we go up to the Tuolumne while we're here?"

My Dad turned and looked at me, "Sorry Dude, but that area is still under too much snow. They don't open the Tioga pass until mid to late June."

I must have looked disappointed because my Dad chirped, "Hey, I promise to bring you back and we'll hike it together."

"Can Auri come?"

My Dad glanced over at her as she turned to look at him with anticipation, "Yeah, sure."

"You guys might want some boy time, without me hanging around."

I leaned forward, "No Auri, you're the only one with a gun around here. In case of bears…you can come."

"I don't think I'll be shooting any bears, Furey."

"Maybe not, but I'd still like you to come."

She was about to say something when my Dad shocked us both, "Me too. I'd like you to come with us."

It shut her up.

We were able to park close to the trailhead because Dad had brought his handicap placard. Auri and I were going to take the backpacks and not make Dad carry anything. But to the surprise of both of us, he grabbed one of them and strapped it on. It ended up that Auri didn't carry anything but the camera and a waterpak on her back.

You have to first go through Happy Isles to get to the trailhead. Auri put her arm around me as we walked next to the river, "The trail to Vernal Falls is known as "The Mist Trail" for obvious reasons. The mist from the cascading Merced River frequently covers the trail, making it slippery, especially in the spring. So both of you be careful."

"I'm not a child, I've been here before." If my Dad had been a teenager, I'm sure he would have been accused of 'talking back.' But, Auri took his snide remarks in stride.

We were crossing a large footbridge when Auri stopped, turned and pointed up to a granite face on the rocks, "That's Glacier Point. We were here a week after the huge rockslide in 1996. One hiker near the trailhead of the John Muir Trail was killed and about 11 other people were injured. The falling rock pushed air so hard, the wind toppled hundreds, perhaps thousands, of 250-year-old trees. The trees looked like matchsticks lying on top of each other on the ground. The entire place was covered with about an inch of gray dust from the disintegration of the rock when it landed. It looked like a moonscape. Your Mom and I spent quite awhile just walking around, surveying the damage." She paused and then ruffled my hair, "Shall we go?"

We continued up the trailhead as it snaked along the side of the mountain. Looking down, you could see the rushing Merced River billowing its way down the canyon towards the Valley floor. It sounded like someone pour water out of a huge faucet. My Dad was slower and less balanced than Auri and me. I could feel Auri tense up with worry when we went over various areas, worried that Dad might fall. Despite a small slip, Auri and I took more "trips" than Dad. Although I admit, we were traveling pretty slow, allowing families to pass us on the trail.

We reached this rockslide area that had apparently been there forever because trees now grew between some of the rocks. It was hard to navigate, but I was proud of my Dad. He did it faster than either Auri or myself.

He barked back at us, "Hurry up you two, the falls will be turned off if we don't get there soon."

I looked at Auri, "They turn the falls off?"

She and Dad started howling. She shook her head, "Your Dad was just joking."

We sat down to catch our breath and have a drink of water. Looking around I felt so happy. I realized this must be what my Mom felt here in Yosemite. Of course, part of what was making me happy was that Dad and Auri were friendly to each other and seemed to be really enjoying the hike. I jumped up, eager to get to the Falls.

"Hey! Wait up Dude. I'm 56, not 26."

"Ah, come on Dad, I want to see the falls before they turn them off!" I smiled.

They got up and about ten minutes later we traveled around a bend on the mountainside and I could hear the waterfalls rushing. It sounded like a freightrain and we were still a good quarter mile away.

"Can I go ahead?" I begged.

Auri shook her head no and Dad nodded, yes. I was puzzled, _who do I listen to?_

"Come on Auri, Dad said yes. He trusts me."

She sighed and admonished me, _"Be careful! And wait for us at the footbridge, don't go any further."_

I ran ahead as the trail started down slightly. I started to see glimpses of white water and as I finally came to a flattened area on the trail I could see it. It was magnificent…that's the only way to describe it. The force of the water barreling over and crashing down on the rocks was amazing! I ran up to the footbridge at the bottom of the falls and looked up. I was so excited; I couldn't wait for Auri and Dad to get there. I waited and waited. I finally decided to go back up the trail a little to see if I could find them. I went up and turned the corner. Under a tree they were standing, holding each other and kissing. My work here was done.

**Dear Readers:**

**Are you happy? Auri and House are back together, but for how long? What do you guys think should happen? Gorby**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**Counting Our Blessings**

We walked for another ten minutes; I kept looking down the trail, hoping to see Furey, "I don't like him going ahead too far. Not only is it a slippery trail, but there are bears and other people on the trail."

Greg rolled his eyes, "It's less than a quarter of a mile and there are no bears on this trail this time of day. He's big for his age and smart. You have to trust kids or they give you reasons not to trust them."

"Hmmm." I pursed my lips and furred my brow. I didn't like Furey getting ahead. Being an FBI agent, I was trained that there was disaster around every bend.

He laughed at me! "You're not convinced. You think I'm a lousy Dad!"

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to him. He stopped too. I searched his eyes and almost read his thoughts, but remembered my lecture to Furey. "That couldn't be further from the truth. If anything, I've gained a whole new respect for you today. You're a phenomenal Dad and I was stupid not to see that. Teags knew what she was doing when she fell in love with you. You may not have wanted it Greg, but you're good at being a family man."

He grabbed me, pulled me in his arms and kissed me so quickly, I didn't even have time to open my lips. I was so tense that I'm sure he must have thought I didn't want it. So I grabbed behind his neck and started all over, slightly parting my lips and lifting up to meet him. This time we kissed so passionately, I felt sensual signals all through me.

"Auri. I came out here to be angry with you, to tell you to get out of our lives, to leave us alone. But, I was miserable. I didn't want to acknowledge that I missed you almost as much as I missed Furey. When we get back, I'd like to start again. I want you to stay with us."

"Stay with you?"

"Move in with Furey and me. I want you to live with us."

I was flattered, but I stepped back and started walking.

He was flustered, "Well?" He hobbled down the trail as fast as he could, "What's your answer?"

We turned the bend and could see the falls. I also saw Furey running back towards the falls. He must have come looking for us and, finding us, decided to go back to the falls.

"I think we should date. Greg, I don't think moving in with you and Furey is a good idea."

His nose wrinkled, "What? It's everything he wants!"

"No, he wants a family, not a roommate. I want more from a relationship than that."

He stopped and flopped his arms down, exhaling sharply, "I don't believe this. You're blackmailing me into marrying you?"

I turned, my mouth dropped and eyes narrowed, "I'm not doing anything except telling you that I'm not moving in with you… unless we were to decide… at some point…not necessarily now…to get married."

He shook his head with one of those 'I don't believe it' grins, "So we don't get you unless we marry you?"

"No, we can date, we can even be close. But moving in when there's a child involved, not unless you and I have made a commitment. Furey is too sensitive. I don't want him going through me moving out. He needs a committed family."

Greg walked beside me, finally calm enough to talk without raising his voice, "You do know that even married couples divorce."

I chuckled, "Yes, I know. But, just try getting rid of me if we're married. I take it very seriously."

"Okay, we date when we get back."

I smiled, strangely sad that he didn't just ask me to marry him, but I held it in. I was just grateful that we were starting over again, "Great, that's a good start."

Furey was running across the footbridge towards us as we stood taking in the 317-foot drop of Vernal Falls.

His long, boyish face was sparkling with joy, "You guys were kissing! You like each other again?"

We both laughed and Greg reached out, grabbed my hand, to seal the deal. Greg nodded at Furey.

I gave him a kiss on the forehead, "We always liked each other. We just needed some time apart to think about what we wanted."

He looked Greg squarely in the eye, "Are you going to marry Auri? Dad? Please, please?"

I blushed so red that Greg pulled his head back and laughed at me, "Boy, you two are pushing just a little too hard. Let me have some time to think this through."

I stammered, "G…g…gosh, Furey, I …uh…uh…I think your poor Dad is right. That's a huge step and we need to know we're right for each other before we take any leaps into matrimony."

His face dropped and he gave us a whiney, pouty face, "But Dad! You were happy when Auri was living with us. You remember…it's good when you guys are together."

He chuckled, pulling me by the hand across the footbridge, "Let's go to the top of the falls."

I shook my head, "Greg, the path is very steep, very narrow and very slippery. I don't think it's a good idea for you to try it."

"You need to have more faith in me."

I wanted to complain, tell him it was still a bad idea, but I didn't dare. He was testing me, seeing if I'd say something to the effect that I didn't trust him. We started up the trail and about one hundred yards up there was a chain across it and a sign that said, "Closed." A ranger was coming down the trail on the other side.

"Why is the trail still closed?" Greg asked, clearly disappointed.

"Ice. There's still a few patches towards the top. But you can take the long way around, use the Muir trail to get to the top. It'll take an hour or more, but it's safe."

"Thanks." I turned to the boys, "Well let's climb out on the rocks and have our snack." I pointed to the rocks at the bottom of the falls. We climbed over them and sat at the base of the falls eating our granola bars and having boxes of juice we had brought. Furey couldn't help it, he had to go down closer to the water and jump across some of the rocks. My heart was in my throat as I watched him, but it didn't seem to bother Greg. He had a lot of faith in his son. I wanted to lasso the boy and bring him back over and nail him to a tree.

When we were done we all agreed not to take the hour long trip up and hour long trip back from the top of the falls. It was already eleven in the morning and we still had a lot to see in the Valley. When we got back to the car, I suggested we go hike around Mirror Lake, but Greg shook his head.

"We're going someplace very special to have lunch."

I couldn't imagine where we were going in our jeans, t-shirts, light jackets and hiking boots. So when he pulled into the Ahwahnee, I freaked.

"Greg! We can't go in there dressed like this."

"No, not if it were dinner, but it's lunch. They don't care at lunch, trust me."

"Dad, what is this place?"

"This is the famous Ahwahnee Inn, where you were conceived."

I snapped my neck to look at him, "Really?"

Greg giggled, "Yep."

Furey leaned forward, putting his arms around the neck rest behind me. "What's conceived?"

I was going to tell him some pg rated version, but Greg piped up, "I got your mother drunk and had sex with her in one of the hotel rooms without using birth control. One of my fast little swimmers made it to one of your Mom's lazy eggs and boom, you became a zygote."

"A zygote?"

"Yeah, it's a fertilized egg. By the time you latched onto your Mom's uterine wall you had divided into more cells, becoming a blastocyst. Then you turned into an embryo, leaching off of your Mom's blood before finally turning into a fetus."

Furey cocked his head, "So when Auri lost the baby it was a fetus?"

I swallowed hard at the thought of it.

Greg was nonchalant, "Yep, a fetus."

"Do women have to be drunk to get pregnant?"

Greg nodded, "It helps."

I jumped in, "That's not true! Don't joke like that; he'll think it's true. No, Furey, most women are _not_ drunk when they get pregnant. Your Dad just has to get women drunk before they'll sleep with him."

We both laughed. Furey smiled, but didn't get the joke.

We walked through the lobby and towards the dining hall. There was a short waiting list so we went and sat on the couch next to the fireplace. The stone fireplace was so huge that Furey could have stood inside the fireplace if it didn't have a fire in it. Furey asked the man on the sofa across from us to take a picture of us. He agreed and so I set the camera up for the shot and he took it of us standing in front of the fireplace as I'm sure millions of similar photos have been staged.

We ate lunch then took Furey to see Dr. Medina who was flabbergasted at how tall Furey was.

"You're so tall and handsome! You've got to be in the top 90th percentile on the height chart." He shook his head in disbelief, "Your Mom was one of a kind. She was sweet and lovely, the nicest person you could meet. I hope you take after her."

Furey was very gracious and I'm sure he was picking up his Mother's affection for this kind man. According to the lodge, he had given Teagan free medical care when she was pregnant and after Furey was born. He was a great guy and when we left, I could feel his sadness. We were leaving him with his thoughts of Teagan, who he thought of like part of his family.

We looked around some more before stopping at Yosemite Falls on the way home. We hiked around the area and, by the time we were done, it was four in the afternoon and the sun was starting to go down behind the granite cliffs in the Valley. We were half way out of the park, about twenty minutes into our drive, when a bear crossed the road. I thought Furey would explode.

"Oh man! A bear! Oh cool!" He ripped his seat belt off and rolled the window down. My camera was on automatic so I handed it to him. He began taking a billion pictures of the brown bear as it waddled, unfazed along the side of the road with us following slowly. The bear finally gave us a look as if we were a fly buzzing around his snout and then leaped through the woods. We watched the huge butt disappear and then Greg gunned the SUV towards the west. Furey couldn't stop talking about him. "Man, did you see the claws? They were six inches long!"

"They sure were big." I responded.

He was on a high from that when we ran across a herd of deer. The camera started whirring as he took numerous pictures of the startled deer. By the time we got home, Furey was really excited. We climbed out and he ran towards the cabin. Greg and I had gone to the back to get the backpacks.

Greg yelled at him, "Gumby, come and get your backpack."

Furey and I stopped and looked at Greg.

"What? What did I say?"

Furey came over to the SUV and grabbed his backpack from his Dad, "You called me Gumby."

Greg tilted his head and then looked down, smiling, "I guess I did."

"Dad, did you used to call me Gumby?"

Greg nodded, "When you were a baby I called you that. Because your name was Greg…I don't really remember how it started. But I stopped calling you that when your Mom died."

"Did she call me that?"

Greg smiled, "Sometimes. Do you mind it?"

Furey shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, "Nah, it's okay."

I grabbed some wood and Furey came back out to help me. We started a fire as the cabin started to get chilly with the sun now firmly set for the night. We weren't hungry, the meal at lunch had been filling, so we just snacked. We played Aggravation and laughed so hard at Greg, who we kept catching trying to cheat.

I hit him playfully in the arm, "You idiot; you can't cheat with two psychics playing!"

He got in my face, "That's the challenge…to see how much I can get away with you two around."

Furey started looking around, "Dad are you sleeping on the sofa bed with me?"

He looked at Furey and then me as if I should answer. But I waited. He finally asked Furey, "Why are you asking?"

"Because don't you have to get Auri drunk if you're going to sleep with her."

I laughed so hard I peed my pants. "Furey, we were just joking. I think a few sober women might sleep with your Dad too."

Furey smiled, "Good, because there's only one comfortable spot on the sofa and I didn't want to share it with Dad."

We went to bed at nine, all of us too tired to stay up. We didn't have sex, not with Furey so close outside. But we did do a little fondling and kissing before we fell asleep in each other's arms.

Greg took us to the lodge the next morning for breakfast and you'd have thought a celebrity had shown up from Hollywood.

Yolanda screamed, "Greg House?" She looked at me, "I knew you had arrived, but I didn't know when you'd show your face. Good to see you sweetie." She grabbed him up in her arms and hugged him. Greg's affectionate, but only with a few people. The fact that he patted Yolanda's back said a lot.

We spent several hours letting everyone catch up. Furey went out and played baseball with some kids staying at the lodge. When everyone left to go back to their jobs, I sat back in my chair with a cup of cocoa and looked at Greg.

Greg finally whispered to me, "You think we have time to sneak back and have sex?"

I nodded. As we went out on the porch I said, "Wait, this will be the test of whether we have time." I yelled across to Furey out in the field, "Furey, time to go."

He didn't disappoint me, "Ah, Auri…can't I finish this game? Please?"

"Okay, but then you walk back to the cabin. Okay?"

"Okay!"

I smiled at Greg, "Now since we can drive back, we not only have the time it will take for him to finish the game, but for him to walk back too. Houston, we have lift off."

Greg and I piled into the SUV and he immediately grabbed me around the back and pulled me over the gear shift. Kissing me and panting from excitement. I started rubbing the bulge in his pants and it took everything we had not to screw right there in front of the lodge.

We drove back and he practically ran inside throwing clothes in a path to the bedroom. I was following behind doing the same thing. By the time we got to the bed I only had my panties on and he was butt naked with a huge hard on.

"Wow, are you happy to see me?" I asked.

"Stop the jokes and get your vagina over here."

"Hmmm. How romantic."

He pulled my arm and I went face first flying onto the bed. Before I could turnover, I felt his hands on my ass as I hung over the bed from my waist down. His knee nudged my legs apart and he lifted my butt up a little, put a pillow underneath and then found the folds between my legs with his fingers. He wasn't wasting time. The urgency of his desire just made it hotter. I felt him push partially inside of me. He hesitated, adjusted his body and then slammed up inside as far as he could go, letting out a sharp cry as he did.

He stopped for a second and then made small thrusting motions to keep just enough friction to keep himself hard. He slapped the cheeks of my ass several times and then leaned down, feeling my breasts and pinching my nipples.

The slow, almost imperceptible movements inside were a tease. I wanted him to fuck me hard from behind, but he wanted to touch, fondle, rub. He rubbed his groin up against my cheeks and started to grind in circular motions without saying anything. My head was turned to the side and my torso lifted up on my elbows. His erection filled me completely, making it hard for me to do anything but wait for his moves.

He found my clitoris and then leaned over the back of me to play between my legs with his fingers.

"God, you feel so good, so tight. I want to pound you until you can't take it anymore, just like this." He pulled out almost the entire length then slammed so hard up into me that the air pushed out of my lungs in one huge rush, his skin slapping against mine, his balls slamming up between my legs. He did it again to get the message across. "But not yet. First we play with your clit, until you can't take anymore, then we'll go back to giving you the pounding you deserve."

I took a deep breath, the position was hot, but not the most comfortable. I soon forgot about that as he rubbed circles around my clit and then started rubbing back and forth in a steady motion. All the time he was doing this, he was still making little thrusts into me, reminding every nerve ending, every muscle that he was inside of me ready to start banging away. I was tense with excitement.

I thought about him pounding me like he promised and my clit tingled. I could start feeling the pre-orgasmic wave, a tightness, push through my body. He must have felt it too, because he encouraged me.

"Yeah, that's it. You're so hot, this feels so good. It's so wet and warm inside you. You're so soft and hot, your breasts dangling, your ass up in the air, come on Auri, let it ride."

I threw up my head as the orgasm prickled at first. He took one of my hands and placed it on my clit, then stood completely up and started to thrust, pounding away so hard and fast that I had a hard time keeping the rhythm of my finger on my clit. Within a minute I clamped down on him over and over as the congestion broke through and the waves of pleasure bled through me.

His voice wavered, "Ohhhh Goood. Oh Auri, ahhh, ahhh. Jesus, you're like a vise grip. Damn, I'm going to explode." He screamed out.

Between the sound of his flesh slapping against mine, the rhythm of my finger, the feel of him penetrating deep inside of me, I thought my orgasm would go on forever. It was Greg who had to stop. He'd ejaculated half a dozen times and then threw his head back.

"Oh God, my heart. It's beating so hard; I think it's going to jump out of my chest." He pulled out slowly, dripping semen down my leg as he did. "Whew, that was incredible."

I was trying to catch my breath. "No joke. That was the best…yeah, it was the best orgasm I've ever had. I didn't think it would stop."

"You're telling me. You flushed pink all down your back and the contractions just kept coming. You're a human milking machine."

I laughed and rolled over. He was still standing but was pretty wobbly. I grabbed the pillow, threw it to the top of the bed and then crawled under the covers, inviting him to join me. He crawled in and threw his head back in exhaustion.

"My heart is still pounding." He moaned.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I have to realize that I'm not a teen anymore. That was a lot of work."

I grimaced, "Thanks."

"No, I mean physical exertion for me. Fun. Hot. But now I don't think I'll be able to get out of bed for awhile."

"Well rest for a minute." I rubbed his forehead and his hair. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. So did I.

It was the slamming of the screen door and Furey's yelling that woke me.

"Auri, Dad…where are you?"

I snatched up the blanket and sheet, pulling them up over us. I knew he was making a mad dash for the bedroom. Bam, the door flew open.

"Oh! There you are. Why are all your clothes…" He was standing looking down at my panties on the floor along with his Dad's boxers. "Did you guys have sex?"

I blushed and was trying to get out the right words when Greg growled without opening his eyes, "Yes, now get out of here so we can sleep a little. Go read a book, we'll be up soon."

Furey looked at me, "Does sex make you tired?"

I nodded.

"It's like a sport?"

Greg piped up again, "Yeah, it's like strenuous martial arts, lots of wrestling. Now go do what I said."

Furey closed the door and went out to the living room. I dropped down to the pillow.

"Crap, we've been caught."

"He didn't see anything."

"He saw my panties; he knew we were nude under the covers."

Greg rolled over and looked into my eyes, "Sex is nothing to be ashamed of."

"But it's different when you think about your parents getting jiggy."

"You aren't his mother."

I winced, "You know what I mean. Besides, you _are_ his Dad."

"Yeah, and when he's a teen, he's going to be grateful that his father could still get it up in his fifties. It will give him something to look forward to."

"I'm going to take a shower." I jumped up, grabbed as many clothes as I could in the bedroom and put them in the dirty pile. I pulled clean clothes out of my suitcase and went into the bathroom which was just off the bedroom, the only bathroom in the cabin.

When I got out of the shower, Greg yelled to me, "Hey, come here."

I went out wrapped in my towel, water dripping down my neck and shoulder and running from my thigh to my ankle. "What?"

He grinned, "I didn't get to see much of your body except the back. Why don't you dress in here so I can watch?"

I laughed, "Most men want to watch as you undress."

"I've always been a little different."

"No argument there." I dropped the towel and he grinned.

"Mighty fine."

"Thank you. At my age, I'll take all the compliments you want to dish out."

"You wouldn't know you were 64."

I threw a shoe at him.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**Homecoming**

We spent the next two days hiking and playing. On the third, we drove to San Francisco and flew home. Greg was in first class while Furey and I slummed it in economy. We picked up our luggage at the carousel and drove back to Princeton. When they dropped me off at my house Furey jumped out to sit in the front, but before he got in he grabbed me and squeezed the breath out of me.

"Auri, thank you, thank you, thank you. I feel real close to my Mom and you helped me understand my Dad. I had the most fun ever. I love you. "

Greg was watching all of this and rolling his eyes. As Furey climbed in he waved to me, "I'll call you about this weekend, we'll all go do something."

I waved back, "Okay, thanks for the ride."

He drove off and I walked inside. As I walked in, the hairs on my arms and neck stood up. Something wasn't right. I sat my bags down and pulled my gun from my shoulder holster. Walking through my house I could smell the unforgettable smell of a corpse rotting. It permeated the entire house, causing me to gag as I got closer to the source. I went around the entrance into the kitchen and immediately spotted the corpse sitting in my chair in the office alcove as if she was working on something at my desk. She was gray and swollen and there was a wire around her neck. The only thing she had on was her bra and panties, which were cutting into the bloated body. If she had been pretty, you couldn't tell now. The body was so far gone, it was grotesque.

I saw that my computer was on, so I snuck over. It was on my screen saver, so I took a pencil and moved the mouse to get the screen to go back to the window it had been on. I had to catch my breath as the image popped up. I ran to the front yard and pulled out my cell, dialing the FBI for help.

I didn't want to go back in, but I realized that I needed to see if there were any imprints that could help. Still, I didn't want to do it alone. I waited until the team showed up. The first agents to show up were from Philly so I didn't know them that well. Finally a car drove up with Freddie and Rhodes. I went running up to Freddie.

"He's targeting me now."

Freddie nodded, "We'll take care of you."

"It's not me I'm worried about, come with me." We walked in as three agents hovered around my small office alcove. There were a dozen looking around, prying into my things. We walked over to the desk, holding masks up to our nose as I pushed the mouse again. The photo that the killer had been looking at while posing the body, flashed up on the screen.

Freddie looked at Rhodes, motioning for us to get out of the alcove, the smell was getting to all of us. When we got outside he looked down at me, "I don't get it?"

"That's a photo of Dr. House, his son and me in a field of blackberry bushes near Yosemite National Park. _It had to have been taken four days ago._ Either he flew to California and followed us, or he has an accomplice."

"Well, are you getting any images or feelings?" Rhodes asked.

"To be honest, I was so upset about the photo, I waited outside for you to get here. If I could have a few minutes alone now, I'll see what I can pick up. Okay?"

Freddie and Rhodes cleared everyone out and I stood in the kitchen. It didn't surprise me that she wasn't killed in my house. I could see her limp body, before rigor mortis had set in. He slid her across the floor on an old blanket, a gray one. He left her on the floor while he played on my computer. My protected files were encrypted and he was unable to access them. The password is changed on a weekly basis by the Agency. But he did look through my personal photos, documents and my personal email. He uploaded photos before he printed off a photo of me. Then he turned his attention to the body. He had a hard time getting the victim into the desk chair, causing him to curse the whole time.

I waited to see if I could pick up anything more. I was hoping to get an imprint on how the woman had died or who she was without having to touch the corpse, but I didn't pick up those images just from standing nearby. I was going to have to make contact. I walked into my living room, took a deep breath and then went back inside the alcove. I touched the dirty blonde hair.

My body was propelled back and I fell on the kitchen floor. I couldn't get up; the visions were coming fast and furious. She was screaming and fighting, he hadn't been able to control her like the others. She knew her only chance was to fight. She'd been reading about the murders and knew the guy was going to kill her. He hit her and then grabbed the wire he had brought to the warehouse… the murder was in a warehouse, a warehouse in Princeton.

I tried to get a good look at the victim, but things were flying through my head. I saw her try to grab the wire, but his grip was too tight. Her legs were splayed out on the floor, twitching and flailing as she died from the strangulation. Her sphincter let loose. It was hideous. Her last words were, "Mother fucker."

I had a vision of her body on the floor and my heart began to pound in my chest. I knew the girl. I started crawling across the kitchen floor towards the living room, screaming and clawing my way towards help. Freddie rushed in and pulled me up from the floor. I was shaking and vomiting, everything was going bright white around me. Finally, he got me outside where I could breath.

"Auri, Auri!" He started shaking me. "Auri? What is it?"

Everyone had gathered around me. The blood was rushing through my ears so hard, all I could hear was Freddie and a wooshing sound. I lay back on the ground and closed my eyes.

Rhodes finally asked, "Does she need a bus?"

Freddie shook his head, "This is pretty bad, but she does have some bad reactions occasionally. Especially when it's pretty horrendous. Just give her a minute."

After five minutes, Freddie lifted me up into a sitting position and offered me a bottle of Aquafina. I took a good gulp and said to no one in particular, "Her name is Trica. She lives in Princeton and she's 28. She works in physical therapy at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital." I continued to drink and get my breath. "He strangled her with a wire, but you're going to find defensive bruising and offensive marks. She managed to scratch and bite him."

Freddie let me take a deep breath, "Anything else Auri?"

I nodded, "Yes, she used to date Gregory House."

Freddie's eyes flew open and he nodded. He looked up at Rhodes, "Our killer is now stalking Auri _and_ Dr. House."

I almost cried, but held in my tears, "Please send someone to look after Greg and Furey."

Rhodes nodded, "We'll do it right now."

I realized that, now more than ever, I needed to use my skills. I had to compose myself and go back in, but I really needed to calm myself down or I'd be useless. When it comes to capturing a serial killer, outside of dumb luck, it's usually the public that tips us off. Profilers don't help that much and the CSI team is invaluable at telling us how the crime was committed and possibly some details about the perpetrator, but rarely can they tell us specifically who the killer is when the killer is a stranger.

"Rhodes? I think we need to get this out to the public. Get out my four sketches; tell them that he had access, a key to a warehouse where he killed the victim. Tell the public that he has been in the Princeton area, but left abruptly a few days ago and then returned just as abruptly."

We were lucky in one way-- we had a serial killer with a solid _Modus Operandi_. Using MO to link crimes can be problematic. If the MO changes within a series of homicides, the murders may not be seen as linked and a serial killer may go unnoticed. Gary Taylor is one such serial killer whose MO was all over the map. He started his criminal career by hitting women over the head with a wrench at bus stops. Then he started shooting women with a rifle. Next he chased women with a machete. He went on to using a ruse to get women out of their apartments. He would call up the victim and claim there was a fire at her place of employment or an emergency of some sort and attack her when she was getting into her car. He also posed as an FBI agent at the door of one of his victims. Near the end of his killing career, he kidnapped two women, tied them up in the basement, shot them in the head, and buried them in the backyard. Then he stopped killing and went about the country raping, but letting his victims live.

Clearly Taylor's MO changed as his needs to control the situation changed. If one took MO to be a way to link these homicides together, one would end up with five different killers! Likewise, if one assumes that the use of the same MO signifies one killer, then the investigator runs into the opposite problem. Since there are only so many ways to kill a person, a good portion of homicides look pretty much alike. One group will be strangled victims and another group will be stabbing victims. A smaller group victims of a shooting. If we just look at MO we'd have to surmise thats there are just three killers out there for the entire United States. And we all know that's not true.

We have something called VICAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program). When a murder occurs, the police investigator fills out an ungodly long form with details of the crime scene. This form (if it is actually filled out as many times detectives don't bother) is sent to Langley where all the data is added to a database. Somehow, the incredible mass of information with MO details and particulars (was the victim naked or not, was she tied up or not, etc.) is matched with other crimes and, lo and behold, crime linkage is accomplished. Supposedly.

With the huge number of serial murders, the difficulties with ever-changing MO and signatures, the added problem of unexpected occurrences at a crime scene (like the rape never happened because someone interrupted the killer or the normal five stabs turns into 50 because the victim mouthed off at him), how accurate can any of this be? While VICAP may be valuable in retrieving other useful law enforcement information, it's easy to understand that it doesn't make a major difference in identifying serial killer suspects.

What most of us agents and homicide detectives would prefer is a suspect bank that would match suspects with victims through relatives, mutual friends and acquaintances, residences, work, hobbies, amusements, and travels. It would be nice if this bank would detail any odd behaviors on the part of the suspect that would help identify him in another crime. It would be advantageous for a police department to know that one of the persons they were interviewing was actually a suspect in two other homicides in two other jurisdictions. However, at present, this information is not shared, and the detective may simply let that suspect walk out of his office and cross him off the suspect list without even realizing another police department had already investigated him in connection with another homicide.

For example, when Ray Biondi, one of the finest serial homicide investigators in the field to date, was investigating the serial murders of Roger Kibbe, wouldn't it have been helpful to be able to plug in "weird cutting up of clothes" and get a match to Roger Kibbe who was one of the persons of interest in the investigation? They did eventually find out that there were records of just this sort in an old juvenile case file from 30 years earlier in another jurisdiction. Tracking this kind of information could really make the difference in identifying suspects.

The typical scenario in a serial homicide investigation follows a well trodden path. First, the police try not to let the public know there is a serial killer out there. If they get lucky, there will only be a small paragraph in the local paper and within a short time, everyone will forget about the murder. Then, hopefully the killer will move to another jurisdiction. If he doesn't stop killing in your jurisdiction, law enforcement will just keep denying that the string of murders in your community are linked. Before DNA actually linked the death of five women in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2002, the police steadfastly told the community there was no serial killer on the loose. This was rather hard to believe considering how many women were dead. The words of victim Pam Kinamore's brother-in-law, Ed White, sum it up rather well. "The truth is I don't care how many of these cases have been linked by DNA evidence. The truth is either we have one serial killer in Baton Rouge or we have a lot of killers in Baton Rouge, and either way we've got a serious problem here."

When the citizens start to get surly like this, then our local yokels hold a bunch of news conferences and say law enforcement is doing everything possible and guarantee this guy is going to be caught. Finally, as time goes on and the killer doesn't get caught, no one will remember that promise. Eventually people will even forget a serial killer is on the loose. Fear fades away and we go on with our lives. Multiply this scenario across the nation and you can see why there are far more serial killers out there than most people realize. The truth is that there are many more serial killers outside of prison than inside. Until find better ways of catching these predators, we can "safely" assume one of our neighbors is the real Hannibal Lector you should be on the look out for.

So where does that leave me? In the driver's seat. I'm the closest thing the FBI has to "getting lucky." I don't always get enough details to send the agents and detectives in the right direction, but I have a much better batting average on cases than others. So, I usually get assigned the worst of the worst. And this guy was quickly becoming my personal worst.

The fact that he was now killing more frequently and getting personal added a very scary and odd twist to my life.

I spent the next three hours on the scene and, being completely exhausted, drove over to Greg's house. I knocked on the door and a few minutes later, a perturbed looking Grinch answered.

"Jesus Auri, we just saw each other. I promise I'll call you this weekend."

"Do you see the bag in my hand? I need a place to stay for a few nights. My house is a crime scene."

He woke up a little and opened the door wide for me to enter. "What the hell happened?"

I took off my jacket, "Greg, you're going to be interviewed, so I can't tell you much. I can tell you that your friend, Tricia was the murder victim they found in my house."

He pulled his head back to take a good look at me, to measure my reactions and whether I was lying. I guess I passed muster because he shook his head, "Come on up. Bring your bag." I followed him and then I stopped by the guest room door. He smirked, "Oh for God's sake, you can still sleep with me, can't you?"

I thought about it, "I guess so. I asked my boss if I could stay with you and he seemed to think you could easily be eliminated as a suspect because …well, because of some evidence we found."

"Great, I've been given the seal of approval by the FBI. Excellent. What about sex, did they say we could have sex? And do they have a preference for a certain position? I would assume, being the FBI, they expect us to do it Missionary style."

"I'm really tired, can we just go to bed?"

He looked at me and took pity, "Come here." I went over and he hugged me gently, "Okay, you can tell me about it in the morning."

I didn't bother unpacking; I just grabbed a t-shirt out of his drawer and put it on then climbed in bed. We gave each other a peck and said goodnight. Being in that room, in that bed, with him, made me feel safe. I guess the two guys in the car outside also helped, but I slipped into a deep sleep with my body curled up next to him.

"Auri!"

I recognized Furey's voice immediately. Opening one eye, I could feel Greg move slightly to get his arm out from under me.

"My arm's asleep."

I lifted my head and let him pull it out from under me, "Sorry." I turned and smiled at Furey, "Hi sweetie, did you miss me?"

Furey laughed, "Did you decide to come and live with us?"

"Only for a few days. I need to get rid of a smell in my house before I can sleep there."

He nodded, "Oh, you mean the dead body?"

House raised his head and looked at his son, "What do you know about dead bodies?"

"I don't know, I dreamt of it last night. The killer downloaded a picture on your computer, printed one of you and then put the dead lady in your chair. You were frightened when you saw the photo because it was a picture of the three of us in Aspen Valley, by the blackberry bushes."

Greg sat up and looked down at me, "Is that true? This guy took a photo of us in California?"

I nodded.

"Auri, is that why the FBI are sitting in cars outside?" Furey asked.

I took a deep breath, "Yes, they're here to protect the three of us. Furey, if you're picking up imprints or anything, you better tell me everything you see in your head." I looked over at Greg, "I'm sorry to ruin your Sunday morning."

He whispered into my ear, "There are ways to make it up to me."

I laughed, "Hmm, why am I not surprised?" I turned back to Furey. I could feel how excited he was to have me in their home, "Let's go down and make some breakfast for your Dad, okay?"

I got up and put on a pair of Furey's sweat pants which he let me borrow, and went down to the kitchen. "I love French Toast, what about you?"

"It's one of my favorites too. French Toast and bacon."

"Great."

We made the French Toast and bacon, then called Greg down for breakfast. I told Furey I would talk to him later about his impressions and then we packed Furey and an agent off to see a new friend that only live two blocks away. Once he was gone, we collapsed down on the couch. I pulled my laptop out and started working. After about fifteen minutes Greg turned to me.

"Are you ready to tell me what happened?"

"They're on their way over to interview you. After the interview, we can talk, okay?"

"Suit yourself."

The knock on the door was expected so I got up and answered the door. It was Rouche and Freddie. I was a little shocked to see Rouche, but I got the feeling that he just wanted to see me in a personal setting. They all knew that Greg and Furey were important to me.

"He's in here." I motioned for them to follow me. Greg leaned forward and turned off the television, which shocked me. He was actually taking this interview seriously.

"Greg House, Special Agent Rouche and you know Freddie."

They shook hands and it was Rouche who started off, "Dr. House, how long have you known Agent Ferrell?"

I must have looked stunned that he was asking about me and not the victim. Greg just frowned at me as if to say 'I have to answer.' He looked at me for help in responding because he obviously didn't remember, "It was near my son's birthday which is in April. We met at a Star Trek Convention in San Diego."

Rouche almost smiled, giving me a strange look. Freddie did snicker a little.

"I assume that you and Agent Ferrell have been intimate?"

House rolled his eyes, "We're sleeping together. I boldly went where no man had gone before back in April."

"So you've been seeing her for about ten months?"

He looked at me and actually gave me a quick smile, "Yes and no. There was a period of six months that I didn't have any contact with her, not until Furey was kidnapped."

"Would you say you're close?"

He furred his brow and narrowed his eyes. I could feel the 'annoyed House' starting to surface, "She's sleeping right next to me; I'd say that's close."

Rouche didn't smile or laugh, "I meant emotionally close."

"She saved my son's life and she went on vacation with him. I'd say we're close enough."

"What about Tricia Griffith? When did you meet her?"

"I met her in the cafeteria line at work about six months ago."

"Were you intimate with her?"

"Yes."

"Would you call her your girlfriend?"

"No, just someone I was dating."

"You met at the hospital?"

Greg nodded, "Yes, she worked in Physical Therapy."

"Were you still seeing her?"

"No."

"Why?"

Now he looked really annoyed, as if he was embarrassed to say it. He glanced over at me as we all sat, anticipating his response. "I told her that there was someone else in my life, someone I wanted to date exclusively."

"Did you tell her who?"

Greg inhaled air into his cheeks and blew it out in frustration, "Yes."

There was a deep pause as we all waited for him to tell us who. He looked around as if he had given a response and that was it.

"Dr. House, who was it that you wanted to date exclusively?"

He gave half a frown, "I told her that I wanted to date Auri."

I let a smile cross my lips. Greg saw it.

"Don't get misty eyed on me." He then chuckled.

I grinned, "Excuse me. I just didn't realize…" I waved at him, "Later."

"Can you tell us anything about Tricia?"

"Vacuous red head with great body, large tits and a willing libido. She was perfect company for what I needed at the time. She comes from Connecticut, went to a small college and graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy. She liked all the S's, skiing, shopping and sex. I wasn't her only ride."

"Did you tell her you were flying out to California to see Auri?"

"No, but I told her that Auri and Furey had flown out to California to camp and we'd have some "alone" time."

"So when did you stop seeing her?"

"Two days before I flew out to California."

"So who was her 'other ride'?"

"Not sure, didn't care. I know he worked at the hospital."

They asked him another forty-five minutes of questions before finally getting their fill. I walked them to the car.

I leaned in the passenger window, "We need to brainstorm tomorrow. Any more interviews today?"

"We're meeting with her parents; they came down to pick up the body. A little premature. We told them we can't release it for at least a week. They just wanted to be near her."

"I'm going to interview Furey, he's getting impressions. After the house is released back to me, I'll take him over and see if he picks anything up. That is, if his Dad lets me."

Freddie shook his head, "I wouldn't; he's only ten. Those visions can't be pretty."

"I know, but his safety is obviously at stake here."

They both nodded as Rouche started the car. I stood back and waved as they drove off. Turning around, I went back inside and found the living room empty. I looked around downstairs, yelled down the Basement, but no Greg. I ran upstairs and found him, laying in bed naked, waiting for me.

"I thought you might like a ride on my horsey."

"Ride 'em bronco!"

I started to take off my clothes and climb in with him. It was comfortable being in his arms, both of us rubbing each other's backs and kissing. I could taste the maple syrup and bacon, smell his day old musk – woodsy notes that I recognized as him. Poking into my thigh, his erection told me that he was ready for me.

"This is a nice reaction, quicker than I thought."

"Talking about being intimate with you downstairs was hot."

I laughed and for a moment I let the gate down. Our physical connection was like a hotwire into my brain and I could see that he was thinking about screwing Tricia. I pulled back and pushed his chest back.

He narrowed his eyes, "Wha?"

"_You're imagining humping Tricia, not me!"_

He frowned and sighed at the same time, "Damn, sometimes I hate that you can do that. It's an invasion of my privacy."

"Privacy! You were broadcasting it all over the place! I don't believe you, you'd rather pretend I'm Tricia than make love to me!"

He sat up and shook his head, "That's not it. I'm just a guy for God's sake. All this talk about sex with you and her, it was bound to stir up memories. You can't do this to me. You can't hold this against me, because I didn't give you permission to listen in on my brainwaves!"

"Oh, you're like the guy who gets caught with porn on his computer and complains because someone figured out your password."

"It doesn't mean I don't want to screw you…it means that…crap. It means nothing." He wagged a finger at me, "And you know it. Now, do you want your pipes plumbed or not?"

"You're so romantic."

"Fine." He threw the covers off and started to get up.

"Okay! Fine!" I threw back the covers and started playing with myself.

He stopped and pulled his head back in shock, "What are you doing?"

"Well, if you won't get me off, I'll do it myself." I leaned back and made a big deal about what I was doing, moaning and groaning.

He looked at me as if I was the Superbowl in overtime. I certainly had his attention, evident by the slight rise in his erection. His head tilted as the other head tilted too. Slowly climbing back in bed, he ran his hand down my hipbone and around my thigh, covering my hand with his. Together we continued to rub between my legs. He brought his lips up to my ear and began licking and nibbling my earlobe. I turned my mouth towards his and he covered it, his tongue darting in and out. Pulling my hand away, I let Greg take over.

We were both breathing hot and heavy. Greg's lips followed the curve of my neck to my breasts. He continued to rub, but lifted his body to cover half of me. The feel of his skin, warm, moist and hairy, very much a man's, made my whole body ache for him. I put my hand up on the back of his head as he rolled his tongue around my nipple. Reaching down, I sucked his earlobe and neck, the taste of salt exploding on my tongue. I felt his hand pull back and his erection slip between my legs. He was ready; the tip of his erection was wet and glistening. Hard and fast, he pushed up into me.

"Greg?" My voice was hoarse and wobbly.

He wasn't listening; all of his concentration had gone between my legs and what he was doing to me. I was going to point out that he had gone commando and I wasn't on anything, but he was already coming down the home stretch, grunting as he let loose. He paused and then pulled out, wincing from how sensitive it felt. There was no hesitation, he quickly found my clit and started rubbing as he reached up and kissed me. It was quick, but I felt my body start to dance under his hand. I loved it, the release of the orgasm crashing through me felt so good I wanted to hold on to him and not let go. When it was over I took a deep breath.

"Auri?"

"Hmmm?" I could barely respond. My mind was foggy, like I had just had a huge hit of a great drug.

"My mind may wander sometimes, but it always comes back. There's something about you that demands it. I need to stop kidding myself."

"About what?"

"I'm losing this war."

I was finally starting to hear him, "Losing the war? What war?"

"I'm not getting out of this alive. Between your body and Furey's harping, I might as well just buy an engagement ring and get it over with."

He said it with such resignation, it didn't feel real. I opened up the gate and probed his mind.

_Well, for being past her prime, she's got a great body. Good at what she does with it. Bright. Loves Furey. Cooks, cleans, picks up after me. Marriages have been built on less…_

I closed the gate and turned my face away, my jaws clenched, my stomach churning. I was nothing more than a sexual maid to him. I was about to scream at him, but he was staring up at the ceiling, looking sober, his brow furred, his attention on something beyond the plaster on the ceiling. I opened the gate.

_Plus, every time she goes home, I'm lonely. I miss her; she makes me feel alive again. Is it love? It feels like love. Am I crazy? Another mind reader? Is that what I need to be kept in line? Looks like it. She'll keep me in line._

"Auri?"

I knew what was coming, so I felt my way to the edge of the bed and sat up, my heart beating so hard in the hollow of my chest, I thought it would jump out.

"Yes, Greg?"

He sat up too, but couldn't look at me, "I'm really uncomfortable being affectionate, telling a woman how I feel, so I may screw this…"

The fucking phone rang. Greg's eyes looked up at mine. We both thought about him ignoring it, but with a killer running loose, he picked it up.

"Yeah?" There was silence as he listened to the person on the phone. "Crap! Who's in?" There was a silence, "Okay, call in the whole team, I'm on my way. And give him cortosteroids, yeah prednisone should work." He hung up, glanced quickly at me and then shrugged, "New patient, crashing fast. I'll talk to you later. Can you come down this afternoon around 2:00 pm? Oh, and can you do your psychic thing and find Furey? Uh, can you see if Wilson will take him?"

"I'll watch him and bring him down to the hospital. You don't need Wilson; that is if you don't mind me staying here with you until they release my house?"

"I already told you it was okay." Not bothering to look up, he stepped into his old boxers and levis, then continued dressing. I figured he was going to take a shower when he got to the hospital because he stuffed a pair of clean boxers in his back pocket, most of the plaid cotton Hanes sticking out like an umpire's flag. He actually came over, pecked me on the cheek, "That was hot this morning, see you later." And he was off.

Literally, saved by the bell.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Hunt and Peck**

Furey came in around noon complaining of being hungry and asking for his Dad.

"He had to go in to the hospital for a new patient, but you and I are going down to see him at two, so you need to stick around." I handed him a sandwich, "Furey, tell me about your impressions.

Furey seemed unfazed by my question, he looked up at me and tilted his head, "This guy is mad at you Auri. He doesn't like it that you're smart."

"Does he know I'm an Intuitive?"

Furey nodded, "He's really fuzzy though. I get imprints and then they blur, know what I mean?"

It was my turn to nod, "Yeah, usually when that happens it means I'm getting them from another Intuitive or people who are sensitive enough to know when I'm reading them."

"Auri?" he hesitated, "I wasn't trying to read him, honest, but I got a strong broadcast from my Dad while I was down at Keith's house. Did he ask you to marry him?"

"No, he didn't sweetie. He was mulling it over, but he never asked."

His face fell and he went back to chewing his sandwich.

"Now, back to your impressions, continue."

"He followed us to California…no, he followed you. Auri, what you said, it makes sense. I think he's an Intuitive. I think he's still trying to figure out how to close his gate, because when he's really excited, his thoughts and emotions seep through. That makes him mad. He doesn't want us to read him."

"Can you see him, give me a description?"

"No, because it's weird, I see everything as if I'm looking through his eyes."

My heart jumped, and my nerves tingled. "Furey, listen to me carefully. If you get an impression of him, or anyone, where you are looking through _their eyes_, it means they have a direct line to you too. They see what you see. You need to mentally jump out of their body. It takes practice, but it can be done. He may not know how to do it either, but you have to try and jump outside of him. Do you understand?"

He looked scared and so did I, "But I don't know how!"

"We can practice. I'll put myself into your brain, allow you to see everything from my eyes and you practice on making your mind jump. But for now, keep telling me your impressions." I didn't like that he had a direct connection with Furey, it made Furey much more susceptible to the killer's thoughts. It meant that his thoughts could possible control what Furey did and vice versa.

"He likes it when he pulls the clothes off the women and has sex. He likes it when they try and fight back, because he can hit them, make them stop."

I took in a deep breath. I really hated the fact that Furey was receiving this, but I couldn't stop the killer from projecting it or Furey picking it up. I figured I might as well get as much from Furey as I could to help me catch the guy and put a stop to it. I leaned forward on the counter to encourage him to continue.

"He makes them get dressed. He likes it when they think he's going to let them go. He tells them to get up and start walking to the car. That's when he comes up from behind them and chokes them with a cord or something. He likes the way they look when they realize he's going to kill them. He's mean Auri, he's really mean."

"I know honey, anything else?"

"He watches us. He's watching us now."

A cold, cold chill ran up my spine, literally raising the hairs on my neck. I reached over, grabbing Furey's hand and opened the gate.

"Okay, Furey, let me see what you see."

He closed his eyes and I slipped directly into Furey's mind, something that took tremendous energy and work. When you slip into this area of the mind, it means that the connection is so opened, that you can each see, feel and sometimes control what the other is doing. I searched around for the killer's link to Furey. I found the killer; he was watching Greg as he sat in a lab reading a magazine while his team worked around him. It made sense to physically stalk Greg. Anytime he wanted to see what Furey or I were doing, he just had to open the gate and look through Furey's eyes. This wasn't just a serial killer, this was a monster. I had to teach Furey how to jump out of the killer's mind, but I couldn't do it for him. He was going to have to work with me and do it himself.

"Auri, he's watching you and me through me, isn't he?"

I nodded solemnly.

"I'll just keep my gate down."

I was hoping my voice didn't clamp down from the fear washing through me, "That would probably be a great idea honey. Now we have to let the FBI know the man is at the hospital." I ran out and told the guys in the car and they relayed it in. I called Greg on his cell and prayed that he would pick up. He did.

"Greg? Are you with someone?" My voice was wavering up and down an octave.

I heard him snort, "What's wrong with you? You sound like Rosanne Barr at a Padres Game."

"We've determined that the murderer physically stalks you and mentally stalks Furey."

There was silence. I could just imagine him sitting there staring off into space trying to put this together. "So, he's physically in the hospital?"

"Yes and mentally seeing me through Furey's eyes. He's stalking us all."

More silence. I thought I'd swallow my tongue, I was so nervous.

He whispered into the receiver, _"He's Intuitive?"_

"Yes, I should have figured it out. He can't see through me; I've learned to put up the right guards, know how to keep someone from doing remote viewing through my eyes. But Furey's never had someone do this. This guy is still a little fuzzy with his abilities, but he's getting better all the time. Furey has closed his gate, but with someone like this, I don't know how well that's going to work or if Furey can keep it down long enough."

"_Now what?"_ He sounded pissed off, but I knew that was Greg's way of saying he was scared.

"FBI is on their way. I don't know if he's caught on that we know. It's possible. I touched Furey and could see through the killer's eyes. You were sitting in a lab, feet up, reading a magazine while others worked around you. I'd say I was passing by the lab about twenty feet from you."

"_Fuck! He was less than twenty feet from me?"_

"Yes. So stay somewhere in public and don't stay alone, the more the merrier."

"Now you tell me." He whispered and it was so low, I almost didn't hear, "_I'm in the bathroom stall taking a dump and there's someone out there…waiting."_

I inhaled sharply, grabbed Furey's hand and dragged him into a closet, closed the door. It was dark, pitch black, hard to see anything. "Furey, open the gate, try to see through the guy's eyes."

I had the phone to my ear and I could hear Greg whisper, "_No, don't, he'll see you two."_

"No, I've got us in a dark closet. All he'll see is black." I touched Furey's hand and waited as his mind whirled, trying to find the killer. We zoomed into his mind, Furey opened the gate as wide as he could. I let out a sharp, tiny scream, dropping Furey's hand and stepping out into the hall. "Greg, he's in there with you. Do you have anything you can use as a weapon? Your cane?"

"I left it by the sink."

I wanted to run towards the hospital and shoot the S.O.B. "Honey, I'm hanging up and calling Freddie, let him know where you are and what's going on. Stay in the stall, make some grunting noises, make him think you're still doing your business."

"I am…but now I've got the pucker factor going on."

I didn't bother to respond. I dialed Freddie who picked up on the second ring.

"Freddie? The killer is in the bathroom on the third floor, west wing, with Greg. Hurry!"

"I'm two, maybe three minutes from the parking lot." He sounded reassuring.

I nodded to myself, "I'm in touch with him; I'm going to try something. Bye." I didn't wait for a response. I opened the door to the closet where Furey was still ensconced. "Close your eyes and turn around." He did as I told him. I grabbed his head and immediately leaped into the killer's mind. I tried to hear his thoughts, but the killer was concentrating so hard on the stall door, he wasn't really thinking. His feelings were primal, like a big cat ready to attack. I could feel the cane in my hand ready to strike when Greg came out. I could smell the bathroom soap. Our hearts were beating quickly, in unison. We were both sweating, excited. We were watching Greg's feet under the stall, staring at his new Nikes. The killer was so entranced he didn't realize I was there. But then, I'm better at stealth mind reading than most, more practice.

I could hear Greg grunting as if he were straining. I almost laughed, but that would have given me away. I concentrated on the killer's process of thinking and realized that I had to bring him down from the thrill of killing to the fear of being caught in such a public place. I started placing brief thoughts of people coming through the bathroom door, busting in with guns drawn. I could feel doubt creeping in his head. He was starting to think. _Too public, too risky, leave the cane and run. Get out._ I added more thoughts, _It's been too long in here, the odds are going up that someone is going to find us, walk in when they shouldn't, get out, get out, another time…leave, leave._

I watched as our latex gloved hand put the cane back, balancing it on the counter next to the sink. He turned away from the sink, but I caught a glimpse of white clothing in the mirror, but didn't dare draw attention to it with my mind or he'd know I was there. We walked quickly out of the bathroom and down the long corridor, into the stair and down a flight, coming out on the second floor of the west wing.

I pulled my hands from Furey and whispered, "Close the gate." I then pushed open the closet door and dialed Greg.

He whispered, "_What?"_

"He's gone, get out of there."

He raised his voice back to normal, "Yeah, try telling my bowels that. Right now anal retentive would best describe me."

"Geg, I don't care if you crap your pants. Do not take the stairs, stay in a public place on the third floor, do not go down to your office. He got off on the second floor. I'm on my way." I ran up the stairs and strapped on my gun, put a blazer on and took off, Furey in the passenger seat. When we got into the parking lot I turned to Furey, "You still have the gate down, right?"

He looked frightened, his face tight with fear, "Yeah. He's in there with Dad, right?"

I shrugged, "I don't know if he's still in there, possibly. But, I want you to stay on my left side right next, but slightly behind me. If I stop, I expect you to be so close that you run into me. Understand?"

He nodded and we crossed the parking lot, my hand inside my jacket, ready to pull my gun. I had an arm sticking out shielding Furey's body as we passed through the lobby where everyone stared at us like we were nuts. I called the elevator, staying out of the stairwell. When it arrived I made Furey wait while I checked it out. I allowed a family in with us, although it frightened me to think that they may get caught up in our drama. We got off on the third floor and then went to the charge nurse's desk. Greg was sitting in the middle of the nurses' station reading again. He had a lollipop in his mouth and next to him stood Mark, one of our junior agents.

Greg pulled his legs down and smiled at Furey, "Dude, you look like you just saw Freddy Krueger!"

Furey ran and hugged his Dad, holding him so tight I could tell it was physically uncomfortable for Greg, but he said nothing. He wrapped his long, safe arms around his son and hugged back. He smiled at me.

"I want to go back to my office. You think we could manage that now?" He asked it more of Mark than me, but Mark looked to me for direction.

"Yeah, we'll take an elevator and let Mark do reconnaissance."

We took twice as long as necessary, but made it to Greg's office without incident. When we entered his dark office I looked at Furey who looked back knowingly.

I swallowed, nodding at Furey, "Greg, he's been in here and it's been in the last few hours. Did you have any contact with a man in brown shiny slip on shoes with a buckle?"

He laughed at me, "Like I look at men's shoes. I haven't been in my office much today and when I was, no one but my team showed up."

I nodded, acknowledging that he had no information to add. I watched Freddie come in, shake his head to let me know they found nothing and continue to look around.

I broke the silence, "I think we need to start a profile from what we know. Greg, can we use your white board?"

"Yeah, let me just write on a pad what's already up there. Furey, here, go write what's on the whiteboard." He handed Furey a pad and pen. We watched as he went next door to take down the information.

Greg said out loud to no one, "Should we send Furey somewhere else? If so, where would he be safe?"

I looked out at the Furey, sitting and writing down what was on the board. My heart swelled with love for the child, "With your permission, I'd like him to stay. He can help if he remembers anything important. Plus, he's seen some pretty bad things so far and he's holding up pretty well. It's only when he thinks you or I are threatened that he gets upset."

Greg looked at me with those big blue eyes as if he was trying to see inside my brain. He finally exhaled, "Sure, but if he gets upset, he's outta there."

"Understood."

We all moved into the office with the white board, Greg standing holding the marker. He turned to me and Furey, who was sitting next to me leaning on my arm.

"Well, for those of us who don't know much about these things, tell us how to profile, give us some background."

I turned my palms up, "The FBI defines serial murder as: A minimum of three to four victims, with a "cooling off" period in between; the killer is usually a stranger to the victim — the murders appear unconnected or random; the murders reflect a need to sadistically dominate the victim; the murder is rarely "for profit"; the motive is psychological, not material; the victim may have "symbolic" value for the killer; rarely, but sometimes, the method of killing may reveal this meaning; and, they often choose victims who are vulnerable like prostitutes, runaways, etc."

Greg wrote a few buzzwords on the board, 'stranger, domination, vulnerable.' "Okay, what else can we assume?"

"Assume is a bad word, because no two serial killers are alike, but statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. Many were physically or emotionally abused by parents. Some were adopted. As children, fledgling serial killers often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds- these red-flag behaviors are known as the "triad" of symptoms. Brain injuries are common. Some are very intelligent and have shown great promise as successful professionals. They are also fascinated with the police and authority in general. They have either attempted to become police themselves, but were rejected, worked as security guards, or served in the military. Many, including John Gacey, the Hillside Stranglers, and Ted Bundy, have disguised themselves as law enforcement officials to gain access to their victims."

Greg listened intently as he watched me. He wrote up on the board, '20-30, white, abused, fires, torture, wet the bed, fascination with cops."Okay, what else?"

Freddie spoke up, "I'm not as good as Auri at this, but In trying to figure out the personality traits of a homicidal predator, many things are taken into consideration, including victim background, time and place of the murders, method of abduction, murder weapon used, degree of planning, and evidence of overkill."

I nodded, "Freddie's right, plus a relatively recent development in the profiling field is the analysis of a suspect's geographic patterns—victim selection area, where the crime was actually committed, travel route for body disposal, where and how he dumped the bodies, and the degree of isolation of the dump site. It tells something about the suspect's mobility, method of transportation, potential area of residence, and ability to traverse barriers, such as crossing state lines."

Greg looked at Furey to see if he was okay, "Dude, are you alright? Is this upsetting you?"

He smiled at his Dad, "No, I think it's cool."

"Okay, then let's take a look. Anything consistent about the victims?"

I looked to Freddie. He waved for me to go on, "Females 19-39, no specific "type" but each had a job that kept them out late, sometimes they had to lock up their stores for the night before leaving. The only deviation from this was Tricia. But then, she was targeted because of her association with you." I saw Greg flinch and was glad to see that he did have some compassion for the girl who died simply because she had dated him. It wasn't his fault, but a normal human would feel some guilt. Obviously, Greg did, even though he'd never admit it. I took a breath, "They're abducted outside of work by knife, raped with a condom, dressed and then strangled with a variety of weapons, including panty-hose, wires, belt even, rope. Lots of planning, he has to observe their schedules, determine when they work and whether they're alone when they go home. He has access to a vehicle, kills the vic in one area and dumps, buries or cements the body in another area. So he is an organized killer, not an opportunistic murderer."

Greg narrowed his eyes in contemplation, "How many are we talking about?"

"He's killed nine so far, that we know of. Plus, killers usually start out killing in their own back yard so to speak, where they know the lay of the land and can dispose of the body without having to drive around searching for a good area. Later, they may branch out as law enforcement starts closing in. They even move away to other areas. So, we have been concentrating in the Reston area and now Philadelphia-Princeton."

Greg stared at the white board with determination, "He killed the one before this, near Philadelphia and Tricia in Princeton."

"But he's completely changed everything with Tricia. He knows we're on to him, so he doesn't feel the need to cover up _who_ did the crime. We haven't caught him so he's feeling smarter than all of us. He's taunting us with Tricia. She was killed right under our noses and dumped in my house. Now it's very personal."

"But, is it personal against you or me?" Greg asked.

I looked at Freddie. But it was Mark who suprisingly spoke up, "Auri. He eliminates Auri's female competition, Tricia, and puts her body in Auri's house as a present. He's indicating a certain respect for Auri."

Greg looked at me to see if I was buying this. I took a deep breath, "I think you're right. One thing we're ignoring, this guy is a psychic and knows I am too. He's just now starting to flex his abilities. He's had intuition all his life, but never really pieced or honed it until the last few years. If we put in that he probably has contact with law enforcement, psychic, Reston, maybe we have something to investigate. In other words, a male psychic who probably offered his talent to law enforcement in or near Reston and was turned down."

Mark nodded, "I'll get right on it. We've got several agents lurking around here; I think you three will be safe."

I held up a hand to stop Mark, "Here's some other things that have to be checked, rosters for flights from Trenton, Philadelphia, New York and Newark to San Francisco, Fresno, Los Angeles and Sacramento for the week we were gone. The staff at PPTH because he's wearing a white lab coat. So check all recent new employees and vendors for PPTH. People who could walk around and not be suspected. I think that will keep you busy."

Mark shook his head, it was a needle in a haystack trying to find someone among all the flights and in the hospital, but it was what the FBI did best, look for needles in haystacks.

Greg grabbed the paper that Furey had written the medical information down. "Okay, Furball, now write what's on the whiteboard down for me. I think I need to bring in my team and work on my medical diagnosis."

I smiled at him and nodded, "I think it's time that I teach Furey how to keep someone from looking through you when you're trying to read their mind."

Preventing another intuitive from using you as human binoculars is a hard principle to get and even more difficult when you are a kid just learning how to close gates, bounce thoughts and deal with the impact on your life of being intuitive. But I patiently tried working with Furey for an hour and then we were both exhausted. Remote viewing wasn't something I liked to do or did well. It took a tremendous amount of energy and there was no denying that, for whatever reason, men seemed to do it better than women. Women were much better at projecting thoughts and emotions, soothing people, planting ideas and deflecting feelings. But actually seeing through someone else is an art that I can do, but hadn't mastered; luckily, neither had our perp.

I watched Greg leaning on the white board yelling at Dr. Taub for some reason. He was so alive and excited. It was rather fun to watch him so into his work. I poked my head inside.

"Greg, I'm taking Furey home and making dinner. Are you going to be home for dinner?"

He looked at the shocked looks on the faces of his team. Apparently, they weren't expecting a domestic question.

"I think we're going to wrap this up in few hours, I should be home around seven. Send Gumby in here."

I motioned for Furey to go and see his Dad. He walked through the door and stood next to his Dad. I broke out into a big grin, they looked so much alike. This obviously wasn't wasted on the team.

"House, you'd never be able to deny that he was your son. Hi, Furey." Taub smiled at him.

"Hello Dr. Taub, nice to see you."

Taub shook his head and with stage shock put a hand to his chest, "Polite? Who's genes are those?"

Greg smirked, "Wilson's."

We all laughed. I grabbed Furey's hand, but he pulled away and gave his Dad a quick hug in front of everyone. House looked like he was in pain. I was surprised. Around Wilson, Jennifer and myself, House was very affectionate with Furey. So I wondered what this was about. I opened up and discovered that he was slightly embarrassed. He didn't want his staff to know he was a good father! That he loved his son desperately and worshipped the ground he walked on.

Furey didn't seem to care that his father didn't give him the usual hug back. He just turned and walked away. But I cared. I gave Greg a look of disappointment and he gave me back one of frustration. He reached out, pulled Furey by the arm and wrapped those long, hairy, safe arms once again around the kid who loved his Dad. I gave Greg the approving nod he so well deserved. He snarled at me. His team smiled, amused that the great Gregory House showed his son affection.

We drove home with a car of agents following. I cooked dinner and invited the guys to join us, giving the agent who stayed outside a sandwich. Greg walked in and found Agent Petrie sitting at the counter eating.

"Are we running a wayward home for Junior FBI agents?"

I spooned out the beef bourguignon on a plate and handed it to him, "I'm just giving John a little dinner before he goes back outside to protect your sorry ass."

John looked up at Greg, to see if Greg was going to say something, but he didn't. He just grabbed the plate and took it over to the table.

"Some wine?" I asked.

"Sure."

I gave him the wine and he acted somewhat perturbed that John was still around. I sat down with my plate and glass of wine too.

"Where's Gumby?"

"Gumby? You're going to start calling him Gumby again?"

He looked sheepishly towards John and then back. He spoke in a quiet voice, "I only stopped because it reminded me of Aspen Valley, Teags, how happy we had been. I think I'm okay with all that now."

I felt elated, "That's great honey."

John turned when I called Greg, honey. He wasn't used to seeing me in a domestic surrounding. He shoved the rest of his meal down and took the plate to the sink, "Thanks." He turned, gave me a quick smile and went outside to join Harry.

Greg watched me as I ate. I finally put my fork down and glared back, "What?"

"What are we going to do? We can't keep Furey locked in his room forever?"

I looked around the kitchen, "Yes, I know. But, we weren't successful this afternoon. It's going to take more time to teach him." I picked up our plates and took them to the sink, "I'll go home tomorrow. They said the smell is almost gone."

He looked surprised, "Tomorrow? You don't have to go home. I mean the smell is probably still bad."

"I'm just thinking that if I'm not here, then the perp can't see me through Furey. It will give me a better opportunity to find this guy. He's been good at screwing with my abilities. Had I realized he was an Intuitive, I would have concentrated my efforts on tuning into his intuitive…well, we call it, 'intuitive frequency'. I've got to figure out what's my best tactic. I want this guy."

He looked down at his wine, "You'll stay tonight, right?"

"Sure. If you want me to."

He nodded and that was it. I asked Furey if he had any homework, but since it was the end of spring break, he had nothing. He kissed me and his Dad before going up and taking a shower. Greg and I watched _The Dog Whisperer _and then went to bed to read. I worked on reports and internet searches on my laptop, Greg read some journals and then a tabloid.

We turned out the lights around ten thirty. I had just gotten to sleep when we were both awaken by a loud scream and crying from Furey's room. Before we could even get to him, he was standing next to Greg's bed sobbing. I sat up, reached around and pulled him onto the bed to hold him. He was hysterical, blubbering and sobbing.

"Baby, baby, it's okay. Your Dad and I are here. We're here. You're okay, you're okay."

Greg had crawled on his knees over to our side of the bed and was touching Furey's knee to comfort him. "Dude, what's wrong? It's okay, it's okay. Shhhh. Come on Gumby, tell us what's wrong?"

It took several minutes of me rocking him back and forth before we could sooth him enough that he could tell us what was wrong. Even then, he did it with halting breath and huge, heart wrenching sobs in between words.

He looked at Greg, "I saw Auri…(sob)…she was…(sob)…standing in the kitchen and he…(sob)…comes up behind her and…takes a wire and he puts it around her throat…she's choking and trying to kick him, but she couldn't get him to stop. Her tongue flopped out and her eyes were bulging." He looked up at me, "He dropped you on the ground; you were dead. He killed you Auri. You die."

I turned and looked at Greg. He was an ash gray, clearly disturbed by this dream. "Greg?" I said as softly as I could, "It's just a dream."

He nodded, but clearly he didn't believe me. I pulled Furey up into bed with us and held him, holding him as tight as I could and petting his hair. He finally fell asleep fifteen minutes later. I got up and went downstairs to get some water and try and calm myself down. I heard someone coming down the stairs and realized from the gait that it was Greg.

He stopped at the kitchen door, "Auri, I can't go through this again."

"What do you mean?"

He took a breath and grimaced, "The dream. Teags had dreams and they always came true. I can't handle losing you. I lost Teag. I can't be close to you and lose you too…"

"Oh, Greg, it was just a dream. He can have dreams that have nothing to do with his talents. And it's only natural with all this going on, he's going to have these kind of dreams." I could see from his desperate expression that he wasn't convinced, "I'm feeling guilty though. I only realized tonight how hard Furey is taking all of this. I think it would be better if, at least until we catch this guy, I don't have any contact with you two."

He leaned his head on the jamb of the door, crossing his arms in front of him, "How do I explain it to Furey?"

"Tell him that I got called away on the case."

"Auri, if this dream is true, then you're alone in a kitchen when this happens. How can I let you be by yourself? I may be sending you to your death by letting you leave."

I walked over and he put his arms around me. "I'll be okay. I'm a big girl. I need to pull the perp's attention back to me, away from Furey and you."

"That's what I'm afraid of…you'll be the sole focus of his attention."

"Better me than Furey." I went upstairs and picked up my things as Greg watched.

He whispered, "You don't have to go now. It will freak him out to wake up and you're not there."

"I need to go now. It's okay. Just say that I got a phone call and had to go." I walked over, gave him a kiss. As I started to walk away he grabbed my hand and stopped me, giving me the saddest look.

"Auri, be…"

"Careful? Hey, I'll be fine."

"When this is over, we need to talk."

I kissed him on the cheek, "Sure."

I took off into the night, giving instructions for the guys in front to stay with Greg and Furey. I arrived home, opened the door and took a sniff. It had an industrially clean smell that the people who clean up after dead bodies leave behind. I turned on the light and went into the kitchen, flipping on the switch for the alcove, but the light didn't go on. It spooked me a little, but I could see the desk from where I was standing and I was happy to see that the desk chair had been taken-- probably to the dump.

I stood, remembering the images of Tricia being strangled and dragged through my kitchen. Chills ran up my arms. I had an unusual feeling. I tried to figure out specifically what it was I was picking up. Listening closely, I could feel Furey, and yet, not Furey. The images were coming from someone in Furey's mind. He was feeding Furey images of him strangling me and of the women he had killed. I wrestled with the gate, Furey's gate. Being the stronger intuitive, I was able to push Furey's mind towards nicer thoughts and away from the images of me dying that the perp had been feeding him. Anger welled up in me, this meant war. The son of a bitch was messing with my kid and I wasn't going to take it.

I went up to bed and woke up early, ready to find me a murderer.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**Night Terrors**

She was dying. I saw it over and over and over, from different angles. I tried to wake up and couldn't. And then, like someone had a remote, I was in Yosemite, hiking with Dad and Auri on the Mist trail. We're laughing and Dad's groaning about having to hike. Instantly, I felt better I could feel myself falling into a deep sleep. When I woke up, Dad was in a panic.

He shook my upper arm, "Crap! We overslept! Get your sorry butt up and get ready. I've got to make up an excuse for why you're late."

I looked over to see if Auri was awake, but Auri wasn't there. My head snapped back to look at Dad, "_Dad? Where's Auri? Where's Auri?"_

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down!"_ He walked over and put a hand on my shoulder, "The FBI needed her, they called her last night and she had to go."

My heart was pounding and my skin was cold, I was scared, "_But Dad! He's going to kill her; we can't let her be alone!"_

"Honey, she's not alone. She's got Petrie and John. They're looking out after her."

I ran over to the window and looked down at the street, "_No! She doesn't! They're sitting right out there! She's alone, you let her go alone!"_

My Dad was genuinely surprised, "Both of them?" He asked as he was running to the window to look. Pulling back the curtain he winced, screaming, "They're both fucking here? Both?"

I was a little surprised at the 'f' word, but was glad to see that he was concerned. He hobbled along the banister and down the stairs, out the door and to the window of the car. He started throwing his arms everywhere, yelling and screaming. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but I opened the gate and could tell he was really worried about Auri. Dad was afraid for Auri and that scared me even more.

I didn't want to go to school, but Dad made me. It was hard for me to concentrate so I told the teacher I had a headache and went to the nurse's office so I could contact Auri. I tried to talk to her as I sat waiting to see the nurse.

_Auri, Auri, are you okay?_

_Hi honey, yes, I'm fine. I just got called away. Are you okay? Any more mental intrusions?_

_None today. I miss you. Where are you?_

_Working hard honey…I'm at work._

_Can you come home tonight?_

_Oh honey, I don't think so. I have so much to do…I'm really working hard._

_When am I going to get to see you?_

_I'm not sure, but I'll try to get over this weekend, okay?_

_Okay, but please be careful and call my Dad. He cussed out John and Petrie for leaving you all alone. Bye._

She chuckled. _Bye._

I didn't have a fever so the nurse sent me back to class. I was okay now that I knew Auri was alright.

Dad was waiting for me after school. On the drive home I told Dad that Auri was okay, "She's going to try and make it over this weekend.'

"Fine."

"Dad, you wanted Auri to stay, for good, didn't you?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"No, I mean, you _wanted_ her to stay."

He looked at me, wondering how much he could lie to me about. I gave him a look that said he wasn't going to get away with anything. He shrugged, "Yes, I _wanted_ her to stay."

"So? We're getting married?"

Dad rolled his eyes, "I haven't asked Auri, so don't get your hopes up."

I couldn't help but smile, "Dad, you want to marry her, but even if you don't, we have to get her to stay with us or he's going to kill her."

My Dad was shocked, "Man, you're a buzz kill."

I didn't say anything, I just looked at him. The phone rang. Answering it, he talked for awhile before he hung up and looked at me, "I've got a patient with Uncle Jimmy. Jennifer is sick so I have to call Auri and see if she'll come and watch you."

But Auri didn't answer her phone; I started to worry. I tried to transmit thoughts to her, but couldn't. I didn't know if her gate was down or if she physically couldn't, but she wasn't responding. "Dad, I can't reach her."

Dad rubbed his forehead, but wouldn't look at me. "Are Mutt and Jeff still out there?" He motioned to the window.

"You mean Petrie and John?" I looked out, "Yeah, they're still here."

"Go get John."

I walked out to the sedan and John rolled down the passenger window. "Can you come in? My Dad wants to talk to you."

John grimaced and turned to Petrie, "Ugh, Dr. Jihad wants me. I'll be back." He got out and followed me inside.

My Dad met him at the door, "Have you checked up on Auri?"

"No, Dr. House, she specifically gave us orders to stay here and monitor your safety."

"I want you to locate her. Call around, do what you do, but at least find her. She's not answering her cell or home phone or my son's telepathic communications."

The agent exhaled as if he was annoyed, but nodded. A few minutes later, he came back, "We haven't located her; we're sending a patrol car over to her house to check up on her. When we hear something, I'll let you know."

My Dad looked at me, "I have to get into the hospital and I'm going to have to take you with me for now until I can get Wilson or someone to come and get you. Get your stuff."

I grabbed a backpack, juice, snack bar and my Ipod. When we got to the hospital, John and Petrie pulled into the spot three spots over, out of the handicap parking. John walked over and talked to my Dad. I heard him say that Auri wasn't answering her door, did Dad have a key?

I grabbed my backpack and rummaged through, finding the key at the bottom, "I have one."

John looked at me, took the key and handed it to Petrie. John walked with us into the hospital as Petrie took off, I guess he was going to Auri's. I was really upset now and my Dad could tell, because he kept his arm around my shoulders, even walking through the lobby.

I took his chair behind the desk so that I could play games on the computer. He went to see the patient and talk to his team. I stopped every once in awhile to try and talk to Auri, but no luck. John stayed with me in Dad's office, sitting and reading in the corner chair. He was a nice enough guy, loved to talk about tanks, planes, guns, things like that. But for now, we both kept ourselves amused.

I kept feeling something strange, as if there were cotton balls in my head. Everything was fuzzy. For a minute, I tried finding the killer, reading him, but all I got was a feeling of frustration from him. Something wasn't going his way…maybe he was having trouble reading me and that's why it felt fuzzy. I wasn't sure; all I knew was that I had to go pee.

Petrie showed up and motioned for John to join him in the hall. I went to the white board room, grabbed a coke out of the frig, put it on the table and went out the door to go to the bathroom. As I left the office I could see Petrie and John having a very serious discussion. I wondered if it would be okay to listen in? I knew I wasn't supposed to, but if it was about Auri, then I really wanted to do it. I couldn't help it, I ducked around the corner going into Uncle Jimmy's office and concentrated on them talking.

"_She's missing, not answering her phone, not at her house and her cell GPS says that she's somewhere in this building. There was a few drops of blood on the kitchen floor. We're not sure from what. So don't let the kid know, he seems close to Agent Ferrell, but you can tell the asshole. If you don't he'll just go on one of his Jihads and we'll end up telling him anyway."_

Auri was somewhere in the building, but not responding to me or her cell phone? I had to go find her. I knew I could find her if anyone could. She always said we had a strong link, maybe I could break through her gate if I was loud and close enough. I dodged down the hall and down the stairwell to the first floor, thinking I'd start at the bottom and work my way up. Looking through the rooms, I found the stairwell that lead to the basement. I had a bad feeling about the basement; something wasn't right. I started to descend the stairs and felt someone, someone who was very intuitive. The fact that the person wasn't answering me should have been my clue to run. But I was afraid that whoever it was, they might have Auri.

**Dear Readers, thank you so much for reading. Let me know if you're enjoying it! Thanks, Gorby**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**Only Women Bleed**

Furey was so desperate to have me come back and be with him, that I had to block him, bring the gate down as hard and fast as I could. I knew that if he knew where I was, then it was possible the killer did too, through Furey. My mood was rather testy. I was stressed by the events and there was no denying that I was missing Furey and Greg. I didn't want to leave them, not when Greg was so close to saying something about our future, but there would be no future with this guy running around so it was for the best that I broke off all contact, including psychic.

Quantico came back and told us that there had indeed been a man about three years ago who had offered his psychic abilities to solve a murder of a young woman who had been raped and stabbed to death. He was a phlebotomist who worked at Inova Alexandria Hospital near Reston, but upon checking, he no longer worked there. His name was Jerad Quarry and he had left the Reston area approximately two weeks before the woman went missing near Philadelphia. We immediately sent teams in to find out as much as possible about the guy.

I received the first report by encrypted email, including an update on information I had requested about new employees and vendors at PPTH. There were only fifteen new employees at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, only one of which was a phlebotomist, but it was a woman. We checked other hospitals in the area, but the only other new phlebotomist, at Trenton Mercy, was a black man who had transferred from another hospital in the same system.

But, I remembered the white coat when Fury made contact and the ease in which the man moved through the hospital. So I drove over to PPTH and did some research myself by canvassing the lab where they drew blood. I asked around about any new people, including new vendors. No one had any idea if anyone was new from the numerous vendors that came and went in the lab. Most indicated that they didn't pay much attention to the vendors and those that did, told me that they changed constantly. I was about to give up when I saw one rather dour woman who worked in the bowels of the hospital staring at me as I talked to others in the department. She ran assays on blood and other bodily fluids in a somewhat noisy lab full of noisy machinery.

I walked up to her, "I noticed you were listening to my conversation. Have you seen anyone new around here that sticks out?"

She was a plain woman with an eighties, 'curly' haircut. She was pudgy and probably in her late thirties. I got the distinct impression she was a soccer mom when she wasn't working in the lab. She nodded and spoke in a distinct Philly accent, "There is a guy who comes in from one of our outside labs. They send new people all the time, but this guy asked me directions to Princeton General so I figure he must be new to Princeton if he doesn't even know PG is less than two miles away."

I nodded. It was a long shot, but it made sense. This outside lab collected specimens that required more in-depth analysis, from each floor. He wouldn't be noticed walking around the hospital because he'd be dressed in a lab coat with a vendor's identification tag around his neck. The woman gave me a description from what she remembered. He was about 5'10", medium build, a full head of dark brown hair, parted on the top in the middle, brown eyes and the only thing remarkable about him was a one inch deep scar on his face. She forgot which side. She couldn't remember the name or the day that he had shown up. But the outside lab was Advanced Testing Centers.

I put my best research advisor from Quantico, Petra Olganovich, on the job. She found that there was a new "runner" at Advanced Testing by the name of Jerome Steinberg. He was twenty-nine, white and had joined AT approximately one month ago. According to AT, he didn't have a phlebotomist license in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, so they used him as a runner. He did claim on his application to be trained as a phlebotomist in California.

I called Freddie and Rhodes, telling them both that this man needed to be found and found soon. Apparently, Jerome Steinberg had the day off from his gopher job. He usually worked Wednesday through Sunday. Freddie sent a car to his apartment to bring him in for questioning, but he wasn't home. It made sense to me that if you were stalking someone, what better day to do it than to stalk them on your day off? It was almost nine at night. I decided to drive over to Greg's house to see if he was anywhere around. I plugged my cell phone into the dash board charger but I wasn't sure if the charge would work. The rather old cell phone had been giving me trouble. It wasn't holding a charge very well. I needed a new battery, maybe a new phone. Knocking loudly, I finally let myself into Greg's townhouse when there was no answer.

"Greg?"

There was no sound. I looked through the living room, but it was empty. So, I went into the kitchen to look around. I saw it immediately; a cabinet door was open. Shivers went up and down my spine. The one thing Greg hated were open cabinets or closet doors. He was tall enough that if someone left a cabinet door open, he usually ran into it. I yelled at him for the toilet seat, he chastised me about cabinet doors. I pulled my gun and waited to see if I heard anything. The house creaked, but it was normal timber creaks. I was about to holster my gun when I heard it-- the quiet click of the front door.

I ran from the kitchen to the living room and looked out the window just in time to see a man run like the wind around the corner. I ran out the door and after him, but he had too big a lead.

Jogging back inside to see if I could piece together what he had been up to in Greg's house, I saw that he must not have been there long, because the only area where I could see things had been disturbed was in the kitchen. There were pieces of mail on the floor next to where Greg stacked it on a counter. The mail was piled near the phone and answering machine. I checked the mail to see if there was anything of interest, but there wasn't. Then I checked the answering machine.

The led light flashed, 8:32 pm, for the time of the call, "Alright House," the feminine voice barked. I knew immediately it was Lisa Cuddy, "You said you'd be in twenty minutes ago. It doesn't take that long to dress and get your butt in here. Your new patient is slipping fast, we…oh, never mind, I see you and Furey now." Click.

Greg was at the hospital. I called Jim, who picked up sounding like death warmed over. I quickly ascertained from him that, yes, Greg had asked him to watch Furey, but his entire family was sick.

"Is Furey with Greg?"

"If he's not with you, he's probably with House."

I hung up and jumped in my car. By the time I got to the hospital I could feel Furey trying to contact me. But, I couldn't open the gate. I was afraid the perp would know I was now at the hospital if I did. I still didn't know what the man looked like or if he was really at the hospital. I turned on my cell, hoping to call Freddie or even Greg and warn them, but couldn't get a signal inside the hospital.

_Hello Auri._

The voice was in my head, but I still jerked around to see where it came from, it was so clear.

_Jerome? Jerad?_

I could feel his amusement._ Bravo, Auri. You're good…but then, you cheat, don't you? Guess what? _He paused for a second, but I didn't respond. _ I see a boy, he's in your boyfriend's office playing on the computer._

Fear and anger flashed through me. _You cross that line and it will be your last. You touch him and I will unleash the full force of what I can do on you._

He was curious, but still amused._ Ewwww, Obi Won, what are you going to do …use your Jedi mind tricks on me?_

_Leave him alone. _I was in the elevator traveling to the third floor.

_Sorry Auri, but where's the fun in that? _

I could feel that I was closing in on him. His presence was getting stronger as we physically got closer. But then, it started to feel weaker, he was moving away from me. I calmed myself down to allow myself to feel his presence. He was going down, but where?

_Jarad? How did you get to and from California so quickly?_

_Can't you just use your Spidy senses and figure that out?_

_Fuck you._

_(He laughed) My father works for FedEx. He's pretty high up, we get free rides anywhere, anytime. _

_That's why we haven't found you on any commercial liner._

I jumped out at the next floor and took the stairs down, following his imprint, until I reached the first floor. I was sure that we were going outside, that he was leaving. But he didn't, he kept going down into the bowels of the hospital. I wasn't sure what was down in the basement of the hospital and who we would encounter this late at night, but I just kept walking towards his presence.

Most of the doors were locked up tight. But I came to a double set of doors, neither which was locked. Inside were steel cabinets, firmly locked, and stainless steel counters with stainless steel sinks. I realized I was in some kind of kitchen, apparently where the food for the hospital was made during the day. I could see under a door in front of me that there was a light, but the door was locked. I looked through the window on the door and could see cooks and dishwashers, not many, a skeleton crew at best, but they were trying to handle the night requests and clean the dishes. They exited their side of the kitchen through another door that emptied into a hall next to a service elevator.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I sensed that he was close. My gun was still in my holster, so I started to reach for it. An image flashed of me, Furey's image of me, dying in a kitchen_, this kitchen._

I heard a sound behind me, but as I turned, the cracking of my skull vibrated through me, I went down, blacking out as I hit the floor.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**That Old Familiar Feeling**

I couldn't feel him, the evil man wasn't in my head anymore; he was gone. It was as if he was more interested in something else.I had reached the basement which was rather dim, only partially lit by half the fluorescents available. I figured because it was night and the area wasn't typically used at night, they saved energy by turning off lights. I began to walk down the hall, trying the doors. I was really scared, so scared I didn't even have to pee anymore. I still couldn't reach Auri. I was almost at the end of the hall when I reached out and touched the door knob on the last set of doors. I received an immediate jolt. Auri had passed through this door recently. I stopped. I was so frightened that I decided I needed help.

_Dad! Dad, help me! _I thought as loud as I could. There was no response. _Dad, Dad! I really need you, help!_

_Jesus, don't yell! What's wrong, where are you? The FBI has been looking for you._

_I'm in the basement and there's something wrong. I think Auri is in trouble._

_Where in the basement?_

_Uh, I took a stairwell from the lobby down and took a left and then a right._

I could feel his anxiety. _Are you safe?_

_I don't know. I just know that Auri was here a few minutes ago and I have a bad feeling. I think she's in that room._

_I'm on my way. Get away from that room. Meet me at the staircase._

I ran back to the stairwell, but I knew that there was something really bad behind those doors. I was getting impatient waiting for my Dad. I kept looking up the stairwell, but my Dad surprised me by coming from a different direction. I jumped out of my skin when he put his hand on my shoulder.

He hugged me, "I took the elevator. Now where is this room?"

"Down here."

We walked to within a few feet of the door and then pointed to it, my Dad turned white. I listened into his thoughts, _This is the back side of the kitchen, where they make and keep the deserts._

I freaked out, "_This is the kitchen_?"

He clenched his teeth and whispered, "I told you not to read my mind." He closed his eyes for a few seconds, "Yes, this is the kitchen."

"Then we gotta get in there Dad! I saw her dead in the kitchen!"

"Furey, this isn't our job. One, if Auri is in there and he has her, then he has her gun. She wouldn't want us getting killed trying to protect her. You run and find John and Petrie, bring them down here."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stay here and see if anyone comes out."

I nodded and ran to find them.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**Unnecessary Force**

I felt a tremendous pain in my head. I was also being dragged into a small room, a pantry. I heard the unforgettable click of a gun and the cold barrel of my own Glock under my breast.

"So you've come to join the party?" A male voice hissed in my ear.

I couldn't respond; I was still disoriented.

"You have nice breasts." He said.

When I opened one of my eyes, I was unable to lift my head. I wasn't sure, but I could feel air on my breasts and knew that they must be uncovered. My pants caught on my hips, causing him to curse. He was having a hard time getting them off using only his free hand. They finally slip past my hips and down to my knees. He put his hand between my legs.

"Sweet. Come on Auri, don't I make you wet? You make me wet. The great Auri Ferrell, now that's going to be the ride of a lifetime. You just lay back and I'll do the work." He pushed my legs apart and I felt his hairy thighs push between mine. His mediocre erection was stabbing at my unparted labia while he sucked and kneaded my breasts. I tried to raise my head, but I felt him push the gun back under my breast. "You don't want to do that. You don't want them to find you with your left breast missing do you? Strangulation is so much more erotic."

I could smell his pungent sweat and feel his breath on my breasts and face. It left me sick to my stomach. I opened one eye and tried to focus on his face, but instead I was distracted by what was behind him, above his head. The swift moving object caused me to clench my eyes shut in expectation of contact. There was a thud and I felt the full weight of Jerad's body fall onto me. His head was resting on my chest, face turned to the wall.

I opened both eyes and saw Greg. He still had his cane in his hands like a bat. His aim had been perfect, Jared was knocked out cold. I didn't think; I just reacted. I grabbed the gun out of Jared's soft, manicured hands and took aim, the barrel directly against the back of his head.

Greg screamed, "No!"

But I didn't really hear him; all I could think of was that this bastard had been inside of Furey's head,_ You'll never leave Furey alone, will you? You'll always be playing with him, living through him!_ I knew this parasite would feed off of my Fury. It took so little effort to eliminate the problem. I felt my finger pull back, the bullet discharging, piercing his skull and boring into the wall. I had brains and blood all over my breasts and face.

Greg screamed out, "Auri! Jesus!"

I wanted to pull the trigger again, just to make sure he was dead, but Greg was pulling the Glock out of my hand. I let him have the gun and then I pushed the body off of me. We both heard the door open and people rushing in. Greg took his blazer off and handed it to me with a look that said he wasn't happy that I was going to get brains and blood on it. But I took it and covered my breasts as I pulled up my pants.

"Auri?" I turned and heard John. He came to the door of the pantry and grimaced at the site of a dead perp and me covered in body parts.

Greg stepped out into the kitchen area to make sure Furey didn't come inside. I could hear Furey screaming, "I want to see her!" Greg was assuring him that I was okay, but Fury was out of control_, "I want to see her!"_

I opened the gate and tried to talk to him, I heard his scream out. "Owwwww. Ahhhhhhhhhh."

I realized he was feeling the pain in my head. I shut the gate and yelled instead, "Furey, I'm alive." It hurt like hell to yell.

He yelled back, "Your head hurts!"

"Yeah, go get me a doctor."

Greg came hobbling back in, "I resent that! I am a doctor."

Freddie came running in, took one look and shook his head, "What the hell happened?"

"He knocked me out from behind and then—"

Greg jumped between me and Freddie, "I came in and found him trying to rape Auri who was wrestling with him for the gun. I hit him with my cane just as Auri had gained the upper hand. When I connected, his body movement must have caused Auri to pull the trigger at the same time."

Freddie frowned as if he wasn't buying the story. "Auri, what's your version?"

I opened my mouth, but Greg jumped in again, "She's just suffered a traumatic blow to her head and the emotional aftermath of almost being raped. You can talk to her later."

I was surprised that Freddie shut his mouth and nodded.

Greg waited with me until they brought a gurney. I was taken directly to an MRI, escorted by Greg who gave me a blow by blow account of what had happened before he found me. The MRI revealed a skull fracture, but no swelling, just bruising of my brain. I was very lucky in many ways. After being cleaned up, I was put to bed for overnight observation. My first visitor pounded across the room, arms outstretched and hugged me. Furey looked down at me and smiled.

"Auri, I love you."

"I love you too pumpkin. Thanks for rescuing me, I heard what you did."

"Dad saved you, not me. You killed the bad man Auri."

"Yes he can't hurt you anymore, honey. Now, you need to get home and get some sleep."

Lisa took Furey home and spent the night at Greg's. Greg stayed with me.

Finally alone, Greg looked down at me, searching my face for answers to unspoken questions. He shook his head, "Why? Why did you do it?"

I clenched my teeth and sat up on my elbows, "_Why? Why? He would still be alive! He'd still be able to get into Furey's head and make his life miserable. Is that you want for Furey? Some asshole in prison having access to your son's life? Always living through him?"_

Greg lowered his voice, "But what do we do? You're going to have to go along with my story."

"I killed a man Greg."

"You killed a monster who was terrorizing my son. I'll say or do anything it takes to get you off the hook. If you want me to say that I did it—"

"No! I don't want you to do or say anything. I have to face it."

"Auri," He choked up, "I can't let you do this. I love you. I want you to be with Furey and me for the rest of our lives--although, judging from the last few months, it sure looks like yours is going to be a short one." He paused and we both laughed, "Honestly, it's time we got married."

My heart rate monitor shot up along with my blood pressure.

He looked over at it and then back at me, "Does that mean yes?"

"They're going to do an investigation; I may be going to jail, prison."

"If we get married, then I can't give testimony against you."

"Is that why you want to marry me?"

He smirked, "Yeah, right. You know me; do you really think I'm the guy who'll sacrifice my freedom for yours?"

I started chuckling, feeling giddy under the influence of morphine, "So isn't getting married losing your freedom?"

He grabbed my hand and grinned, "You better believe it, but admittedly, it would be my own satin lined prison."

"I'd love to marry you, but only if I don't go to prison."

His whole body slumped, "Please don't be a martyr for this guy. He wins if he manages to take you away from Furey and me. We love you. Furey needs you. Ah hell, I need you too. Look, you weren't thinking clearly, you had a brain injury and were temporarily insane. It wasn't your fault."

I chuckled and shook my head.

Greg was pulled out of the room by another doctor. They talked and I saw Greg jerk his head back in shock. He watched the doctor walk away and then looked down at the floor for a good minute before coming back into the room.

"Auri?"

"Yes?"

"They just discovered that the dead guy had HIV and gonorrhea."

"He didn't have penetration."

"Did his dick come into contact with the mouth of your vagina?"

I was pretty sure it had, just before Greg swung his cane, "Probably, I don't remember a lot."

"We're going to have to test you for the next six months."

I nodded, just as Freddie walked through the door.

He motioned to Greg, "Dr. House, Auri. How are you?"

Greg grabbed my hand, "She's got a brain injury, on morphine and observation. She's having some trouble with _her memory."_

Freddie looked back at me, "You're suspended with pay until the investigation is done, but I don't see any reason for you to worry." He burned his eyes into mine as a warning to shut up, _"Your story sounds solid."_

I blinked several times in disbelief, "It does?" I think I sounded a little too startled.

"Auri, you were almost raped and murdered. You suffered a huge blow to your head. Even if you were a tad late with the shot, there isn't a jury out there or an FBI agent who would convict or blame you. So, like I said, your story sounds solid. It appears that when Dr. House gave him the blow, the gun went off accidentally." He smiled at me.

"What about Rouche?"

"He's sees it the same way."

I looked over at Greg, who was smiling down at the floor.

Freddie patted my foot, "So, when are you two getting married?"

My mouth dropped open, "Where did you hear that?"

"You mean, how did I know besides the fact that this idiot here went into a room with a murderer who had control over a gun to save you? Furey told me you were getting married."

Greg and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes, "He's been trying to marry us off for a long time."

"So this isn't some psychic vision of his?"

I shrugged, "Greg just asked me to marry him."

Freddie laughed, "Congratulations!"

"How do you know that I said yes?"

Freddie shook his head, "Give me a break. You two deserve each other. I suspect you're the only one who can tolerate him." Freddie nodded towards Greg.

Greg nodded, "He's got us pegged."

I snickered, "Yeah, Fred's pretty intuitive."

We all laughed, Fred read back Greg's statement (I assume so that I could get my facts straight) and then Freddie left.

Greg plopped down into the chair in my room. Before falling off to sleep he asked, "So, now that you have some time off with pay, what are you going to do?"

I rolled onto my side and gave him a sexy look, "Plan a wedding I guess."

He yawned, "About time you came to your senses. Now go to sleep."

"Why don't you close those blinds and crawl in with me. I'd just like for you to hold me."

"What? Am I your security blanket now?"

"Is that a problem?"

He narrowed his eyes, "I kinda like it…super hero House. I could pull chicks with that." He said all this as he closed the drapes then took off his shoes and socks. He crawled in on my right side and wrapped an arm around me. Kissing the back of my head, we both fell asleep within minutes. Once again, this idiot doctor made me feel safe.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**Never Plan a Psychic Wedding**

I put together a list of people that I wanted to come to my wedding. One fifth of them were psychics. Now, it's bad enough when you have two psychics in a family who can communicate without talking. Imagine being at a table where everyone is sharing a psychic joke and you're not a psychic; they're all laughing and you're not. The event becomes a balancing act. Psychics are just like everyone, there are some that are really cool about their gift and respect your privacy and there are those that flaunt it and want you to know that they are superior. They relish reading your mind just when you have the most private of thoughts. My friends ran the gamut.

I started getting phone calls, instead of the caller saying, "Hi, how are you?" They'd say, "I saw that you were getting married", "I had a vision that you were getting married." "So, am I invited to your wedding?"

Most of my psychic friends had gone through the psychic program at the FBI or CIA or through a University. We kept in touch, which was easy to do, if you get my drift. One of my close friends that went through the FBI Intuitive program and then quit, called me.

"So, you're going to make me wear light blue?"

"Susie! Oh, how long have you known?" I asked.

"I had a dream about you getting married six months ago. I didn't want to spoil it for you. I know you have trouble seeing your own future."

I hated to ask the question that I really wanted to ask, afraid of the answer. "Well, anything you can tell me about—"

"Oh, Auri, you're so transparent. I don't see a divorce, although I do see a few times when you think about it. But, it looks like this is the one you stick with. Has anyone told you the news?"

"What news?"

"Let it be a surprise. So, you're raising Teag's kid?"

"Furey…Gregory Scott Furey. He's adorable."

"Yeah, well that kid is a powerhouse. He's sending vibes all over…once he learns his craft he's going to be scary. You have your hands full."

"You mean you see him in trouble?"

"No more than the average teen. But, I mean this child will be an incredibly gifted adult. The CIA is going to want him."

She didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. "Yeah, I figured. Can you tell if they get him?"

I heard her sigh, "The dream didn't get into that."

I was incredibly good at remote viewing, reading objects, telepathy, sometimes I was clairvoyant but it wasn't my strong suit. Suzie, on the other hand, was barely adequate at telepathy, but Suzie was very accurate when it came to seeing the future. The problem was that she only had sporadic control over it. The dreams just came. Sometimes she could direct what she would dream about, but not that often. She hadn't been much use to the FBI, but she made a good living being a clairvoyant.

"I guess I don't have to ask if you can make it and if you'll be my bridesmaid?" I asked.

"No, but it's still nice to have you ask. So, who is this guy?"

I smiled at the thought of her meeting him, "He's a doctor and he's a pain in the ass."

She chuckled, "So I gathered from my dream. He was married to Teags?"

"Yes. They were married a couple of months before she died. Very sad."

Suzie sighed again, "I always liked Teags, but she was so damn sensitive. She never learned how to deal with everyone's pain, did she? Her son seems to do alright. Is that the Dad's genes?"

"Yeah, his dad is pretty much the alpha male in the room. He's an acquired taste."

She started to laugh, "You know, the way you talk about him, you don't sound that fond of him."

I didn't sound very positive about my own fiancé, but I couldn't lie! "I love Greg more than I thought I could love a man. But, I can't defend his behavior, it's atrocious. He's obnoxious, opinionated, blunt and arrogant. God, he sounds awful doesn't he?"

"In my dream he was good looking…for his age. How old is he?"

"He's turning 57."

There was a pause, "He's _57?"_

"Don't sound so surprised. He can still get it up, _without Viagra."_

Suzie started howling, "Well, that's a resounding feather in his cap. Wedding date. My dream said September 15th?"

I was surprised. I had been planning for something in October. "You've got it wrong, we're looking to October."

Suzie paused, "Well, I'm buying my ticket for September 15th. All shall be revealed very soon. You need to talk to your future step-son."

"Furey? Is he going somewhere or something happen to him that I need to know about?"

"Auri, I've got to run. I'll call you soon."

I had been out of the hospital just five days and sleeping most of the time. Jim and Jennifer had taken Furey to stay with them while I recuperated. I was rather excited because he was coming home today and I had baked him a German Chocolate Cake.

I heard the motorcycle pull up which meant that Greg was home. Jim was going to bring Furey home after his soccer practice. I jumped up and ran to the door like a puppy excited that the master had arrived. The door open and he gave me a look as if there was something odd about my puppy-like behavior.

"Hi! You're home!" I realized quickly that my voice was several octaves higher than normal, I was that excited.

He looked around as if I must be talking to someone else, "Ah, yeah. I'm home and you're still in the same pajamas that you were wearing two days ago. Have you thought about taking a shower and cleaning up?"

"I'm depressed."

He shook his head as if he hadn't heard correctly. "You're depressed? You've finally brow beatened me into marrying you and you're depressed?"

"Hello? AIDS? HIV? Ring a bell? The AZT and 3TC makes me sick. I'm puking and crapping every five minutes and I have no energy. Plus, this house is too quiet, I miss you guys." I had been on PEP, Post-exposure prophylaxis, taking antiretroviral medications (ARVs) since they discovered that Jared had HIV.

He threw his head back, "Ohhhhh…that. Well, here's an engagement present." He held up a piece of paper just out of my reach, making me jump for it over and over until I gave him a martial arts blow and his arm came down to guard his ribs. I ripped it out of his hands and looked.

"Oh my God! Is it true? Wait…which test do we believe?"

"It was simple. Jared having HIV didn't make sense, not with using condoms and the fact that he didn't do drugs. He looked way too healthy to be so sick. I was even more suspicious when I went down to the morgue and examined his body. He showed absolutely no sign of HIV or AIDS. That, in itself didn't mean anything, because he could have contracted it recently or have it under control, but when I looked at the guy on the next slab, he showed signs of Karposi Sarcoma and a rash, plus he was emaciated. They had been brought down to the morgue within minutes of each other. I had them retest the blood and I sent a vial to an outside lab. Both tests came back negative."

I jumped vertically at least four feet into Greg's arms, throwing him back, the bottle of beer almost knocked out his hand. I gave him a huge smack on his mouth, a second huge smack and then hugged him. "I love you Gregory Scott House."

"Auri! I'm not a punching bag."

"Oh honey, I am so going to make it up to you. This must be what Suzie had meant. She asked if I had heard the news! She said, let it be a surprise. What a wonderful surprise! I'm healthy?"

He chuckled, "I never said you were healthy. The mental problems do blacken the slate."

"Oh, God…that's such good news. I feel, I feel like I can kiss both of you and not worry!"

"You can't get HIV through kissing."

"I know, it's just that I'd be constantly worried of doing something that might transmit it. It must be a terrible burden to have HIV."

Greg looked at his watch, "You have forty-five minutes."

"I do?"

"To do your duty."

"What duty?"

"Woman! In forty-five minutes Furey will be bouncing through that door…no, make that forty-four minutes. You need to lay back and think of England. It's been too long since you did your duty."

I started laughing. He had a maniacal look.

"You want it down here?"

"Yeah, and traumatize my already traumatized son? He comes home early and sees his Dad plugging his future step-mother."

"Step-mother. Oh, that kind of sounds horrible."

"Get used to it Cruella."

"She wasn't a step-mother, she was just evil."

"Whatever. Forty-three minutes."

I laughed, "Okay, get your butt up the stairs."

We started to walk up the stairs when we heard a sound behind us, the front door unlatched and in flew Furey, throwing his bag down and running up the steps to get to me. He flung his long arms around me and squeezed.

"Auri!"

We all started down the steps again, Greg giving me a snarl and giving his son looks behind his back as if he was going to choke the kid for coming home early.

Furey turned and looked at his Dad, "Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to come home early and ruin your fun; my therapist had to cancel, so Uncle Jimmy brought me home early."

Greg looked at me.

"Honey, you're broadcasting your disappointment, no one has to read your mind."

"Disappointment?"

Furey snickered, "Dad, when I walked in you were thinking about Auri, naked and …"

Greg held up his hand, "Whoa, that's your step-mother to be."

I spoke up, "Furey, we're going to have to tune out your Dad when he's having a private moment. Those private moments are when he's thinking of me naked, okay?" I turned to Greg, "And you need to make sure you haul in your thoughts when you see your son around. I'm a little tired of the fact that a ten year old knows what I look like nude."

He rolled his eyes, threw his hands up in the air and screamed, "Aghghhg! You guys are killing me! I can't even think about my fiancé in the nude now."

Furey started to laugh, "Fiance! My Dad is 57 and has a fiancé!" Furey saw the cake, "Oh yeah, sweet! German Chocolate. Thanks, Auri!"

He put his arms around me again and, in a flash, jumped back.

"Furey? What's wrong?"

He looked dazed, odd. I could see Greg start to take an interest. His eyes narrowed and his face grew somber.

"Gumby, what's going on?"

Furey continued to look at me, his eyes glazed. "I …I…Auri, can't you feel that?"

Now I was frightened, worried that someone else had been trying to hijack his mind again, "Furey, you're frightening me. What are you feeling?"

His eyes flew open and he shook his head, "Oh, no, no! It's not bad. At least, I don't think it's bad…well, I…Dad, can I talk to you? Don't listen, Auri, okay?"

"Okay, I won't read anyone. You go and talk to your Dad."

They left the room and went out to the living room. I piddled around in the kitchen until there was a loud cry from the front room.

_"Auri! Auri!" _Furey screamed.

I went running, only to find Greg sitting on the couch staring down at his knees. He was as white as a ghost and I could feel that he was lightheaded. "Greg?" I stooped down to look into his eyes, "Honey?" I looked over at Furey, "What happened?"

Greg shook his head and leaned back.

Furey was on the verge of tears, "I just asked him if it was okay to tell you that the baby was really, really psychic. I mean, really psychic."

"What baby, honey? Uncle Jimmy's?"

Furey cocked his head to the side, "Auri, I'm talking about your baby. Can't you feel him?"

I felt my knees start to buckle, so I lowered myself to the floor, kneeling next to the coffee table.

Furey looked back and forth at Greg and me. My mouth was wide opened, I was trying to ask him a question, but I was so blown away. I finally looked at Greg, "The meds I've been on, the AZT…would it…?"

Greg shook his head, "They're safe to take if you're pregnant."

I turned to Furey, "Honey, I can't feel the baby because it—"

"He." Furey insisted.

I swallowed hard; I hadn't expected a boy for some reason. Hell, I hadn't expected any kid, "He is part of me right now. Is he healthy? Can you tell?"

Furey shrugged his shoulders, "I think so. He's not talking, but I'm getting impressions. I don't know how to describe them; just that they aren't thoughts, they're impressions."

I looked at Greg and it didn't take a brain surgeon to see he was devastated, "Furey, honey, could you let me talk to your Dad alone? Why don't you go in and get yourself some cake."

"Auri, you're happy aren't you? Dad?"

"Oh, honey, yes of course. I'm happy."

"Dad?"

"Furey, honey, your Dad needs some time to absorb what you've told us." I got up and took Furey by the shoulders and turned him towards the kitchen. "Everything will work out okay. Now you go get yourself some cake."

Furey kept looking over his shoulder at Greg, who was staring up at the ceiling. He finally made his way into the kitchen. I walked over and sat down next to him on the couch. I opened the gate and was immediately hit with his feeling of despair, of being trapped. I was heartbroken.

I tried not to show my pain, but my voice was strained, "It's early still. It would have happened a few weeks ago. I'm not far enough along for us to even think about it. I'll probably lose the baby like I did the last one."

Greg snorted, "No, with my luck, this one will stick."

I drew in a sharp breath at his obvious disappointment.

He sat up quickly, "Oh, don't get your panties in a wringer. I'm just in shock. I shouldn't have said anything."

I stood up, "It's okay, if I make it past the first trimester then you can start to worry. But for now, let's just not dwell on it." I thought I sounded nonchalant, like Scarlett, _I'll think about it tomorrow._

He seemed to be okay for awhile, but just quiet. I wanted to cheat, read his mind, but I kept thinking that I couldn't preach privacy issues to Furey if I was willing to breach them at the drop of a hat.

Furey went upstairs to play computer games while Greg and I cleared the table and stacked the dishwasher. I didn't want to talk, afraid I'd burst out crying. I finally mustered the courage to say something, "I guess we should postpone the wedding until after the first trimester."

He put a plate in the dishwasher, "Why?"

"If the baby makes it, I don't think we should get married."

His forehead furred and his eyes narrowed, "_What? What idiotic brain cell sparked that thought?"_

"Greg, I can tell you don't want a baby. I'm not marrying someone who doesn't really want to be a father." I turned back around so that I didn't have to look at him, "Don't worry, I'm not holding it against you."

Greg snickered, "Well, I don't see why you would; you didn't use birth control. Obviously, this is what you wanted."

I blew a gasket, "_What? I'm not the one that got so worked up you went in commando style!"_

"Oh, so it's my responsibility to use birth control?"

I stopped and stared at him, "I'm using the diaphragm, but you didn't give me time, you…"

"Did you _say_ anything? No!" His hands were on his hip and he was leaning forward gritting his teeth.

I mimicked him, leaning forward too, "Yeah, well this conversation confirms why I won't marry you if I'm pregnant. No, wait, this conversation confirms why I won't marry you period!"

I started through the kitchen door and he put up his cane to stop me. I flashed a thought to him, _Put that down or it's going to be so far up your ass you're going to be able to pull it out through your throat._

His head pulled back in shock, "Auri. This isn't what you think it is. Please…sit down."

I stood, arms crossed against my chest and glared at him.

He pulled out a chair, _"Please, damn it?"_

I went over and plopped my butt down like an angry child.

He sat down and rubbed his forehead, "It's what Furey said. I'm 57 years old. When this baby is ten, I'll be 67 years old. When he's twenty, I'll be 77 years old. With my Vicodin abuse, I've probably cut my life span down considerably. Whether I'll be there for this child is a real question and it's a big reminder of how old I am."

He was telling me the truth. He wasn't really upset about the baby; he was worried about raising him, whether he could be a father to him, whether he'd be alive to be a father. I went cold, realizing I might lose Greg in twenty years or less if he was right about the Vicodin abuse. I jumped up and grabbed hold of him, sitting on his lap, hugging his neck. He pulled me onto his good leg.

"I'm sorry, Greg, I didn't stop to think. I just know that I'll be here, for the baby and for Furey. I can't imagine our lives without you, but I know you're scared. You're right, it won't be easy chasing a child around at your age, but I'll do that for you. I promise, between Furey and me, our baby will be fine, whether you're here or not." I was as blunt as possible, because Greg would have hated me giving him phony reassurances that he would be around forever. He hated logical fallacies.

He offered me a sad, understanding smile and nodded, "I'd be okay with this if I was ten years younger. Hell, I _was _okay with it. I'll be okay once the baby's here, but for now, just know that it's not the baby that has me upset, it's the limited time I might have with you, Furey, and the baby."

I hugged him and sent him waves and waves of love. To my surprise, he sent them back as best as he could, making me happy and warm all over. In that moment, I think we both felt my past with men, his past with Teagan, slip away and we moved forward with just us. With that hug, we became a family.

Greg let out a sigh of surrender, "Okay, what have you decided about this wedding?"

"Well, first, we're not going to have a formal wedding, just a magistrate marry us at a place where we can have the reception after the service. More like a party that just happens to have a wedding to kick it off. Okay?"

"I like that."

"Now, I have 57 people I have to invite and 41 that are iffy. It would be nice to invite them, but it depends on our budget and how many guests you want at the wedding."

"I don't care about the budget as long as you stay under the price of a Ferrari. I made a list of people I want invited. Here it is." He handed me a yellow sheet of tablet paper with names listed down.

_Wilson (best man) & wife_

_Cuddy (Spinster)_

_Mom_

_Aunt Sarah and her new husband, Joe_

_Lilly_

"That's your list?"

"Well we don't have to invite Joe, I don't particularly like him."

"What about your team?"

He shrugged, "I'm not sure I want them seeing how happy I am."

"Your old teams?"

Once again he shrugged, "I'm not sure they would come."

"Who's Lilly?"

"My cousin on my Dad's side."

"I'll take care of it. Well, it looks like we can keep it under 100. I thought we'd hold it at Lambertvile Station, is that okay?" I looked down into his eyes, but he had obviously tuned out.

He looked like a robot with that far away look, "Okay, fine."

"They charge $95 a head but it includes an open bar, the appetizers, food and the cake."

"Fine. I'll give you the money whenever you need it."

"Greg? Did you even hear me?"

He gave a forced smile, "Yeah, money, you need money for the reception."

"Well, that wasn't what I was asking, but I'll take the money."

"When are we getting married?" He sounded like an empty slate, just ready for me to draw on.

"I was thinking September 15th. Okay?"

"Fine, fine. You just let me know when and where and I'll be there."

I grabbed his nose and shook his face, "Doesn't work that way. You have to help with a few things."

His shoulders collapsed, "Ugh, just what I need, picking out china patterns."

"Don't worry, I have china already."

"Which reminds me, what are we going to do with your house?"

"I could rent it out, but we probably need to bring over my things."

Staring down into my eyes, he sighed, "I'm emotionally worn out right now. Can we eat?"

I nodded, "I have a taco casserole in the oven. It should be done."

**Dear Readers:**

**Hope you're still enjoying this story. I wrote this some time ago. When I read it, I realize how much I miss Furey. I like his relationship with his Dad. Take care! Gorby**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**Another Ho-hum Day**

Over the next few weeks, Greg and I didn't talk about the baby. I was keeping busy around the house while trying to plan a small birthday party for Greg. I had just gone to the grocery store to buy some food, stopping at a drug store, before making my way home. It was the Friday night before Greg's birthday. Greg called, informing me that Jim and Jennifer were over and they were waiting for me to get home. They had called me as I was reading the back of the various pregnancy tests to let me know that we were going to go out for dinner. I bought a test at the drug store and drove home, going straight into the kitchen to put the milk away. Jennifer, Jim and the baby were all sitting around the table; Greg was standing by the refrigerator talking to them. Furey picked up the drug store bag, seeing that a candy bar was inside and took out the test, laid it on the table and continued to dive for the candy bar. I turned around to see both Jennifer and Jim staring up at me; Greg was looking down, shaking his head. Furey suddenly became concerned that everyone had gone quiet.

Furey looked around, "Why is everyone staring at Auri? What did she do?"

I petted his hair, and nodded at the test on the table, "I think they just saw the box and now they have some questions."

Furey read the box, "But, Auri you don't need this. You're pregnant. The baby is still there. He's growing."

Jim started snorting and then laughing at poor Furey, who was completely confused. "Congratulations you two, how long have you known?"

I looked at Greg, "A couple of weeks. Blabbermouth told me."

Furey opened his mouth, "_I'm blabbermouth?"_

"In your own sweet way. I'm maybe five weeks pregnant now. We haven't confirmed it with a test." I looked at Greg and winked.

Greg knocked back his beer, "We don't have to…bigger boobs, tired, always peeing…she's preggers."

"Well, shall we go?" I suggested.

We all piled into the Wilson's new van and drove over to the local cafe. I watched Furey tease and play with Sarah Ann at the table. He was going to make a wonderful brother. He had patience, was curious and he seemed to enjoy helping Jen with the baby.

Jennifer sat next to me and leaned in, "He's so good to her. Really, when Furey is over, he does a lot to help out. He's not a perfect kid; he doesn't pick up, he plays too much on the computer and he can be finicky when it comes to food, but I'd take him any day over my nieces and nephews. I love that kid."

I expected nothing less from them. She and Jim had raised Furey for almost a year and had been an important part in his life ever since. I had a lot to be grateful for, they had him during one of his most formative years and I think they did a great job.

We had a blast laughing at Sarah spitting her food at Furey. Even Greg seemed relaxed and joined in the fun, toning down his vitriolic wit. In actuality, there were a few moments that he was absolutely corny and had us all cracking up at his antics.

Jim finally had to ask, "Well, how do you feel about being a Dad?"

Greg looked at me and snickered, shaking his head to himself. I gave him a stern look and nodded towards Furey, hoping he'd take into consideration Furey's feelings and hopes about the baby. Furey had been making comments that he loved the baby and wanted his Dad to love the baby.

Greg did what he always does, he ignored me, "I'm old enough to be the kid's grandfather."

Furey looked at his Dad and, with a serious tone, remarked, "You don't act like it. You're a bigger kid than I am."

The entire table busted out in laughter.

We got in the van and drove home. After getting Furey to sleep and getting ready for bed, I crawled up in Greg's arms and couldn't resist, "Come here Grandpa, got any Viagra?"

He rolled his eyes and scowled, "I can still fuck."

"Really? Then show me what you've got Gramps. I'm in that horny stage of pregnancy. You've got a window of 'anytime-anywhere-just-bend-me-over', so make good use of it."

He finally cracked a smile, "Hmmm. You sure?"

"Yeah, unless you want to stick electrodes on my nipples, I draw the line there."

"Damn, I just bought the battery and clips." He turned on his side.

"Any suggestions?"

He sighed. It became clear that he thought I might balk at what he wanted to try. Opening his mouth to say something, he snapped it shut. After a few seconds he leaned in, sounding almost bored, "I just want to give you nice, slow sex, tonight. Watch you under me, over me, whatever… I don't care."

The lack of enthusiasm wasn't wasted on me. I nodded and kissed him, taking his soft penis in my hand, I began to stroke as he grabbed my right breast and squeezed, kissing me as he did. The whole process didn't take long. Within ten minutes we were asleep.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

**Not Sure About Adults**

My Dad's birthday, June 11th, came and went. It was a work day and Dad had a patient which kept him at work all day and night, knocking all our plans for a small birthday party off the table. Instead, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Jen, Sarah, Lisa, Dad's current team and even his former teams, joined us in the hospital cafeteria for cake and ice cream. My Dad claims he doesn't like birthdays, but he does. He loves being the center of attention. I gave Dad a new CD of John Mayer. Auri gave him a membership to the Princeton Row Club, complete with free lessons. He didn't look very enthusiastic about the gift, but gave her a peck on the cheek to thank her.

On our way home, I received a lecture, mostly about keeping my room picked up. Dad never nagged me about my room, but Auri did. Since letting the maid service go, Auri had started cleaning the house and insisted I help her. I was beginning to realize that having a mother might not be so attractive as I thought. Aunt Jen made me clean up, but then I was at _their_ house. This was _my house_; I thought I should be able to let my room get messy if I wanted. Auri had different ideas.

We switched to what I wanted to do for the summer. There was a camp for computer and sports in the Poconos that my friends were all going to and I had really wanted to go too. But, I thought with everything that had happened, Auri and Dad probably wanted me close to home.

"So, anything you want to do this summer?"

"Nah…"

Auri looked at me with her eyes narrowed, "Something in your voice says differently."

"Well, some of my friends went to this camp where they're going to learn computer game design."

Auri shook her head, "I don't want you stuck inside all day on a computer. You need to get out, get some sun."

I sat up, "But that's the beauty of it. You spend two hour in class on computers, two hours doing a sport of your choice and the rest of the day is doing different activities."

I could tell Auri was impressed, "Now that sounds like a good balance. How much?  
Things are going to get tight with this wedding coming up."

Since I didn't really know how much, I shrugged my shoulders, "Dad can afford it. He has tons of money."

Auri laughed, "Your father's not rich!"

Nodding my head, "Yes, he is. I've seen how much he has in his bank account, the one with the guy's name, the rich guy. The investor guy."

"Warren Buffet?"

"Yeah! He has almost two million in that fund alone."

Auri's mouth dropped open. She was sending me waves of shock, confusion and strangely, she was angry. "Where did you find this account?"

"In the metal box in the little hiding place."

"Hiding place?"

"Yeah, it's in the bathroom, under the bathroom cupboard."

"Really?"

I nodded.

**Dear Reader...I know, short one! But, I may post another chapter this evening. Thanks so much for reading the story! Gorby**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

**The Buffet Factor**

I drove the rest of the way in silence, wondering what else was hidden in the cupboard.

When we got home, Furey went upstairs to play on his computer. I went into the master bathroom and pulled out the toiletries from under the sink. There it was, a 12x12 cut in the bottom of the cupboard with a ring attached to pull it up. I pulled it up and there was a metal box underneath that barely fit. I pulled it out and grimaced. It required a four digit number to open the lock.

I tried the address, Furey's birthday and his birthday. Then I had a thought. I ran back to Furey's room, "Honey, what's your Mom's birthday?"

"July 20, the day they landed on the moon."

"Thanks." I ran back and put in, 0720 and it unlocked. In a way, it made me sad that my dead friend's birthday opened Greg's lockbox. I gingerly opened the steel box, finding a group of papers on top. Greg and Furey's passports were in the box, Furey looking several years younger, Greg looking like Greg. Surprisingly there was a red velvet ring box with the most beautiful emerald shaped diamond ring, that I had ever seen. I wondered if he had given it to Teags? Then there were more documents, various statements. I unfolded them one at a time, discovering statement after statement of three accounts, one with over $1.8 million, one with $550,000 and another with $300,000. I sat, stunned, not knowing what I should say or do. Greg had lots of money, more than he ever let on. How did he manage to mass this much with all of his vices? It was quite a shock to find that my future husband and father of my child, had been holding out. However, it was comforting to know that he could easily take care of us. I never had to work a day in my life if I didn't want to. I was sitting, flabbergasted, when a shadow fell across my crisscrossed legs. I looked up to find a fuming Greg standing over me.

_"What are you doing?" _he demanded. His eyes were slits, his jaw set. I knew that we were about to embark on a huge fight.

"Good question! I was about to ask _you._" I held up the accounts, "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Do I need a reason?" He leaned down and got in my face, "_We're not married yet!"_

_"But you never told me you were rich!"_

He looked peeved, "I'm not rich. I just have money saved from Teagan's life insurance which I doubled by betting on a horse shortly after she died. I took it and put it in Buffet's funds. It was worth more until the latest downturn."

I was still hurt, "But, why didn't you tell me? I mean, we're going to be married. I was just telling you a few days ago that we needed to think about a college fund for Furey and you didn't say, 'Hey, don't worry, I've got it covered!'"

He stomped out of the bathroom and I followed, sitting the box down on the floor and running after him. I grabbed his arm and swung him around.

He took a deep breath, "You didn't seem to care about money, it just never seemed important between us, but maybe it is." He clenched his jaw. "_Is it? Should I get a prenup?_"

I drew in a deep breath. "That was cruel."

"No, it's not cruel. I've been thinking about it. I have a lot to lose if things don't work out between us. I need to think about Furey's future." He paused, trying to feed us both a certain amount of calm, "Auri, I really think that maybe we should sign a prenup. I'd be generous with you. But, I'd want the house, my pension, my furniture, my income."

"Furey? Furey? You just have Furey to think about? What about _our baby_?"

"Our baby hasn't been born. I told you I'd be generous. I'll give you $500,000, but you give up all rights to everything else."

I was so hurt over his dismissal of the baby, "I'd get $500,000 for the baby and me?"

He sat, tired and worn out, on the bed, "No, if you think you need more I'd give you say…$1500 a month for the baby?"

I sat on the bed and stared straight ahead wondering how I had gotten from a fun little birthday party to this painful confrontation.

I whimpered, "You don't want joint custody?" He'd said nothing about wanting time with his child, just paying me to raise it.

"At my age?" He tried to put a hand on mine, but I pulled away, "No, I'd be happy with a weekend or two during the month, maybe a couple of weeks during the summer. I don't have the energy for a toddler all by myself."

I walked back into the bathroom, put the documents and things in the metal box, replaced it and stood there staring down at the sink. It seemed surreal. I was already negotiating custody and divorce settlements and I wasn't even married. Tears just started pouring down my cheek, not for me, but for the baby. I needed to know if he had _any_ feelings for the baby, I opened the gate.

_Christ, now she thinks I'm an asshole just because I want to make sure_ Furey _gets what he deserves from his mother's insurance. But, I've got to be smart; I have a lot of money and most marriages these days don't make it. I've got to make sure Furey and I are okay. And the baby…she can't be serious. I'll be in my sixties when this kid starts learning to dress itself. No, she wants this kid, she can have it. When it gets older, maybe then I can take it for longer periods. _

I walked out to the bedroom. "You don't want this baby at all, do you? There's not a single cell in your being that's looking forward to me having your child, is there?"

He turned and snapped, "_No, not a single cell_. For God's sake, I thought in ten years I'd get Furey through college and I'd be done with raising a kid. I love my son, but it's hard work. I was looking forward to doing _what I wanted to do_."

"My God you're one selfish son of a bitch. Before you had Furey, your entire life was all about you. Aren't you tired of it always being me, me, me?" I turned and growled, "I have another option for you and your prenup. You set up a college fund for the baby, say $100,000 and I promise not to take anything from you…not a single cent. I'll move back to California and take care of the baby, but you have to promise that you'll never try to take him away from me, that you leave us alone. You never see us again."

His face dropped and he shook his head, "Come on, let's not talk about this right now. We're both saying things we don't really mean." He sighed, running his hand through his hair and then down his face. I stopped feeling angry and started to tune into what he was feeling. He was exhausted, really sad, really worried, really frustrated, "Look, I had a hard day. I'm home because we lost the patient. I missed an important symptom that we shouldn't, that _I_ shouldn't have seen. I don't know if it would have done any good if I had. He was in really bad shape. But, I just want to go to sleep. I've been up for over twenty-four hours."

Now I had a dilemma. He was tired; he was angry. He was upset with himself for losing the patient and feeling pretty crappy. But, was he so tired that his guard was down and he was telling the truth? Or was he just so tired and frustrated that he was taking it out on me? I owed it to the baby to stop being so pessimistic and ride this out.

I went back into the bathroom and started the shower, took off my clothes and got in. I was surprised when I saw his outline on the shower doors. He opened the door and, without asking, got in behind me. He bumped me a little so that he could get some of the water on him to start washing his hair and lathering up.

"What did he have?" I asked.

"Aortoenteric fistula, but we didn't know about his abdominal aortic aneurysm that he had five years ago. We didn't have his chart from India, but I should have seen it on the MRI." He let the water run down his face and into his mouth.

I scooted to the back of the shower where I continued to put conditioner on, "I'm sorry. I know you hate not figuring the puzzle out in time."

He looked back at me and smiled, "You look like a little girl with your hair wet and slicked back. A little girl with breasts." He gave me one of those looks he gives. It conveys that he's sorry for being a jerk without saying it. "Come here," he held out an arm.

I wasn't sure I wanted to let him think I was forgiving him, but I stepped forward anyway. He wrapped both arms around me as we stood under the warm water running down between us. I watched it travel down in rivulets over the hair on his chest.

"I love you and, when the baby gets here, I'll love it too. If it's any consolation, I wasn't looking exactly excited to know that I was a father the first time and now look at me. I can't imagine not having him." He took my chin on his finger and lifted my face to look at him. His blue eyes fixed on mine. "It will work out, if you stick it out with me. I know a few minutes ago you wanted to pack your bags and run off screaming into the woods; but you have to realize who you're marrying. I say what's on my mind at that minute. Once I have a chance to think, I see what an idiot I've been and when I think about it, I realize that I don't think about it that way. You can't take me at face value or you'll be packing your bags every five minutes." He leaned down and kissed me.

I reached around his neck, letting my body lean into his. We kissed until he finally pulled back, turned off the water and pulled open the door. We toweled off in silence and then climbed in bed together. We didn't have sex; I knew he was too tired. But I rubbed his ears and face until he fell asleep, looking like a bearded angel as he slept.

***************************

I chirped into his ear, "Wake up! It's 11 am and Furey has gone to play laser tag with his friends and you have a birthday gift to open."

He opened one eye, "The perfect birthday gift would be another hour of sleep."

"Sorry, but I have things to do around the House." He didn't get the emphasis on 'House'. I was hoping that he'd actually sit up and look at me. I felt slightly foolish in my get-up. "Greg, open your gift and then you can go back to sleep."

He groaned and then began to sit up. He looked over at me and started laughing. I felt totally humiliated. He saw that I turn bright red and started shaking his head.

"No, no…you're fine. I just thought that when you woke me up you had a birthday cake or some lame DVD." He stopped what he was saying and grinned, "Hey, why don't you come here little girl?"

I chuckled, "I'm standing here in five inch heels, net stockings with garter, a bustier and black gloves, holding a spanking wand and you call me, 'little girl?'"

"Excuse me, mistress Auri, but could you come here, I think I've been naughty."

"No, not until you open your gift."

He smiled as he reached for the present sitting on the bed, "Actually, I was hoping to open _your_ box."

I yelled in my best military voice, "Open that box, now!"

He pulled back, quite amused and started to open the box. Another roar of laughter went up as he started pulling the handcuffs, restraints, blindfold, dildo, feather and butt plug out of the box. He looked up, speechless, but about ready to break out in laughter again.

"Now—" I slapped the wand with its little velvet tassles, against my leg, "Mistress Auri commands you to get in there and brush your teeth…there will be no morning breath in my bedroom."

He furred his brow as he got out of bed, "Mistress Auri has a strange way of making someone feel sexy."

I sighed, "Just get in there, pee, brush your teeth and get back here. And hurry." I slapped him on the ass with the spanking wand.

"Ow!"

I jumped back, "Did it really hurt?"

He laughed, "Oh you suck at S& M. You can't be asking me that. If I can't handle the pain or if you want me to stop, just say Sundance and I'll know it's too much, okay?"

"Alright…but…oh, just go do your thing and get back out here."

I tore the covers off the bed and left the pillows. I went over and worked a little and then heard the sound of him rinsing his toothbrush. He came out, "Well Mistress? Do you need to check my breath?"

I shrugged, went over and he grabbed me, gave me an open mouth and tongue kiss as he pushed his budding erection into my groin. I was getting into the kiss when my body went flying through the air. He had picked me up and thrown me on the bed.

"Sorry Mistress Auri, but Master House likes to give the orders. You'll have to give me that wand now." He ripped the spanking wand from my hand and threw it on the floor. Pinning me down, he grabbed the blindfold and put it over my head. "Now Mistress Auri, you …oh my God!"

I was in complete darkness with my hands pinned back on the bed. I didn't have a clue at what he was looking at. I felt a finger slithering around my crotch.

"Mistress Auri has crotchless underwear on! Good girls don't wear crotchless underwear. You are a bad girl Mistress Auri, you need to be taught a lesson and I guess I'm the one to do the teaching."

I felt the Velcro cuffs go on my right wrist and then I felt him get off the bed for a minute. He did the same on the other side. I found that he had attached the restraints to something and my arms were now incapable of being raised off the bed at all.

"Now bend your legs, Mistress Auri."

I bent my legs up, with the five inch heels digging into the bed.

"That's perfect. Now spread your knees out."

I dropped my knees to the side. As I did, I felt movement on the bed. He started to blow on my labia, softly until I had goose bumps. His fingers pried open my folds and he began licking from below my vagina up to my clit in long, strong, strides. It was exciting, my nipples started to harden as he continued to lick, finally settling on my clit. He kissed it and then sucked on it until it was almost too much; the pleasure was mixed in with the uncomfortable position of my knees, which he was holding out with his hands, preventing me from closing them. I stared to squirm.

"Mistress Auri, you squirm like that and I'll have to restrain your legs too."

"But it's driving me nuts, I want to come, but it's hard in this position."

He jerked up, and I felt the spanking wand come down on my mound several times. It didn't hurt, it just surprised me. "Mistress Auri cannot come without my permission. You must not come without asking and receiving my blessing. Do you understand Mistress Auri?"

"Yes, okay."

He tilted me over onto my side and slapped my butt, "Yes, what?"

"Yes, Greg?"

Wham! The slap on my butt was stinging, "Oww! Yes, Master House?"

"Much better. Now, I have to teach you how to pleasure me. He pulled my head up and put a pillow under it. I felt him straddle me. "Open your mouth."

I obeyed only to find his erection shoved into my mouth. He leaned forward and started to thrust into my mouth, almost to the point where I gagged. He continued to push into my mouth, the taste of the little semen seeping over his head was salty as it went down my throat. I thought he was going to come, but he pulled out instead and stopped. There was no movement, just his heavy breathing.

He pulled the pillow from under my head and put it under my ass. "Now, you will show me your breasts."

"I can't! My hands are tied!"

He slapped by butt again, "Mistress Auri, you must ask for help."

"Master House, would you please take my bustiere off so you can see my nipples?"

"Fine." I felt him undo the bustiere in the front, my breasts freed and sticking up in the air. His mouth went over my nipple and he began to suck while he pinched my other nipple. The pain and excitement of what he was doing to my body was starting to build. I longed to have his tongue back on my clit, I wanted to come. The congestion between my legs begged to be released, but he wasn't about to let me have that pleasure, yet.

I could smell him; the almond smell of his shampoo was mixed in with the smell of musk and sex. I was going nuts, I wanted him to take me, plunge into me, fuck me like never before. I heard the vibrator turn on and felt him run it up my thigh and down the other, the vibrations teasing me, giving me a hint of what was to come.

"Now, beg me to make you come and maybe I'll let you."

"Please Master House, make me come, please."

"Then what?"

"Then take me, do what you want to my body, it's yours."

"Very good Mistress Auri, you learn quickly."

He put the vibrator directly on my clit, I tried to put my legs down and he pulled the vibrator off. "You cannot change position without my permission. You've done a very bad thing Mistress Auri. You're going to need some punishment."

There was silence and I could smell the cherry motion lotion we sometimes used. There was a rubbery substance near my asshole and then he pushed it in. I cried out. "What are you doing? Sundance, Sundance!"

He immediately stopped, pulling it out. He leaned down, continued to stroke my clitoris and whispered sensually into my ear, letting his breath hit the side of my neck, "Honey, the anus has a large number of nerve endings and by sticking something there, you're going to get an orgasm you won't forget. You have to trust me. Do you trust me?"

I had never had anyone do anything to my butt, but I did trust him and so I nodded. He inserted it again and then rubbed the perineum between my vaginal opening and the plug, massaging it. I had to admit, it felt sensational, really good. The vibrator started up again and he stuck it inside of me letting me feel the vibration of it. He left it inside as he licked my clit. All the nerve endings between my legs were being stimulated at once, I was about to go crazy.

I screamed out, "_Master House, may I come, please?"_

I heard him chuckle, "Oh you were such a good girl to ask, I think you deserve a reward. Yes, my love you may come."

I concentrated on everything that was happening, his tongue lapping my clit, the vibration inside of me, everything. My clit started tingling and then he spread, first like a dull pleasurable ache and then electrical sparks traveling to my back and up to my nipples, down my thighs. My entire body seemed to be contracting in orgasmic delight. I thought I was going to pass out from the sheer pleasure of it. I bucked and bucked, until Greg pulled the vibrator out and penetrated me with his extremely hard erection. He pulled me down towards him, my arms not allowing me to go any further, grabbing my calves, he straightened my legs so that they were both sticking straight into the air. He pounded away, faster and faster as he held my legs apart by the calves. I could feel his sweat drip on me, hear his stilted grunts and smell the sex in the air as he collapsed onto me.

"Greg, take my blindfold off. And get that thing out of me."

"You think we're done?" He didn't take the blindfold off, but he did remove the plug.

"Aren't we?"

"Not just yet." He got up and left.

The room was so quiet I called out for him, "Greg? _Greg?" _I started getting nervous, he wasn't responding, "Sundance!"

Nothing.

"Greg! Sundance!"

I heard his lopsided walk, "Sorry honey, I couldn't hear you; my head was in the refrigerator. Are you sure you want to stop? I have little surprise for you."

"It was kind of scary, being alone like this. Not being able to see, not being able to move."

He crawled up on the bed and held me, kissing my cheek. His leg and shoulder were draped comfortably over me. He nuzzled my neck and ear, "You're going to enjoy what I'm going to do."

"I'm not sure. Is this okay for the baby?"

He chuckled, "Orgasms aren't bad for babies. In fact, the endomorphins it releases are probably felt by the baby. Let's not forget that the baby is smaller than a thumb." He pulled the pillow and put it back under my head. He put something on my lips. I opened my mouth and took a bite of the strawberry, tasting its sweetness. Greg kissed me, sticking his tongue in my mouth, tasting the remnants of the strawberry, sharing it with me.

Next I felt his finger at my lips. I stuck my tongue up and licked it, smiling at the taste of honey. Again he kissed me, licking the honey from my lips. The banana was next and then whip cream. I didn't know what he was going to give me. I ate a quarter of a hot dog, part of a kiwi, part of an apple. Each time he paused and tasted what I had tasted. Half way through he started rubbing between my folds with his fingers. The taste of the food, the fact that I had to trust what he was going to do, the rubbing of my clit, started to stir things. It went on and on until I finally refused more food.

"I'm full!"

"Not yet you aren't"

He reached down and started to take off my shoes, unbuckling them and tossing them on the floor with a thud. He unhooked the stockings and pulled them off along with the crotchless underwear. His hand started at my ankles and worked up my legs to my thighs. He massaged them so delicately. Not being able to see made my awareness of his touch more intense. His long fingers were soft, almost delicate. Then he brushed up my thighs to my folds, stopping. He pulled the bustier out from under me, leaving just the gloves and blindfold on. I felt him grab at my fingertips and pull the left glove off, then the right.

"Auri, you have a hot body. Even your little round abdomen is a turn on. It makes you look feminine, like a beautiful, fertile woman. Now, I'd like to introduce you to my little friend."

He grabbed my hand and put it on his lovely massive hard on, "Now, what would you do with him?"

I chuckled, "Put honey on him and lick him dry."

"Amazing. Just what I was thinking."

Next thing I knew, I had a honey soaked penis in my mouth.

"Be careful what you wish for." He said.

I started sucking and licking him until he started moaning ever so slightly. I could feel him start to push further and further into my mouth, his hand on my head. The semen came out in spurts, sliding down my throat.

His voice was constricted, "Oh God, I love you. That was impressive. This is the best birthday gift I've had in years. Wait…this _is the best birthday gift I ever had!_"

I started laughing, "I'm glad I finally gave you something you like."

"This kit was pure genius."

"Are we done now?"

"Don't you want to come?" He sounded like a little boy asking if I wanted to go to get an ice cream.

"I've already had a very good time."

There was a slam of a door. "Dad, Auri! Hey, we're going to"

Greg jumped up, "Jesus Christ!"

I tried to pull on the restraints, but nothing was giving. "Oh, crap."

I heard Greg at the bedroom door, "Furey, uh, go downstairs and we'll be down in a minute."

"Is everything okay?"

I realized right away that he was scaring Furey and that would mean one thing, Furey would try to find out why his Dad didn't want him up here.

Greg was frustrated, "Just go downstairs."

"Dad, why are you standing behind the door like that?"

House sighed, "Can't you ever do something I tell you, just because I told you to do it?"

"Greg!" I yelled at him, "Greg!"

"Shhhh….I'm trying to convince a ten year old to honor his father and go downstairs."

"You're scaring him and when he's scared, he's going to open the gate and you're going to reveal all. Now that will probably be even more scary."

"What do I do?"

"Don't think of sex…think of anything but sex now."

"Great, now all I'm thinking about is Mistress Auri."

I opened the gate and it was like watching a dvd play of the last hour. "Greg, stop, let me up…Sundance, Sundance, Sundance…."

Greg ripped the blinder off and cuffs too. I jumped up and ran into the bathroom, but my robe on and ran out the door, down the stairs, finding Furey on the couch unable to look at me.

"You haven't been opening the gate in the last few minutes, have you?"

Greg came waddling down the steps, watching Furey's expression,"Furey, did you read my mind and see what we were doing?"

I gave Greg a mean look, "Greg! Great, now you've …" I gave up and turned to Furey, "Well, did you?"

"I saw Dad feeding you strawberries and honey and other things."

"What else?"

"You were naked again but you had a blindfold on. I stopped when I realized you were naked."

I looked at Greg and back at Furey, "Honey, you're going to have some real embarrassing moments if you keep reading your Dad."

He nodded, "I think I know that now."

"So, can you stop doing that?"

He nodded.

"Now why are you home so early?"

"There was some plumbing leak at the laser place, but we want to go to the movies, can I go?"

Greg and I nodded in unison. There was the honk of a horn outside. He jumped up, happy, grabbing his ball cap from the doorknob. Running out the door he turned, grinned and yelled, "Sundance!!!"

**Dear Readers! This is along chapter. It will serve as the Saturday chapter too. Thanks for reading! Gorblimey2**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

**A Hard Rain Is Gonna Fall**

I now understand what my friends always gripe about. Mothers can be a pain in the butt. My room had to stay clean, my clothes folded and put away, I had to take care of the dog, take out the trash and sometimes vacuum. I didn't have to vacuum at Uncle Jimmy's even though I used to have chores when I stayed there (I hadn't stayed over for a long time.) But, since Auri moved in, I had to vacuum once a week along the upstairs hall and my bedroom. I didn't understand why it had to be done every week since we have wood floors, but that didn't seem to matter to Auri.

I was in my room, playing Grand Theft Auto, minding my own business, when the door flew open and Auri, her face tight and angry, started to yell, "What were you thinking? What in the world were you thinking?"

I said nothing, because I was _thinking _nothing, I was _playing_. It was then that I tried to read her mind and got blasted.

_Furey, get out of my mind! Now! _

The thoughts were so powerful, so loud, that I immediately withdrew and looked down. "Auri, I don't know what you're talking about. I was just trying to figure out what I did wrong." It was a lie, I knew what I had done wrong. I was just surprised that it took her long to discover it. I was trying to figure out how much trouble I was in.

"Didn't you think I'd miss the $20?"

I couldn't look at her, "But, my Dad always tells me to take money from his wallet for what I need."

I could tell that she was having a hard time controlling her anger. She took a deep breath, walked away for a minute and came back. Her voice was mean, deep, "You know that you have to ask _first_ before your Dad let's you take the money from his wallet. What made you think you could go into my purse, _my wallet,_ without my permission and get the money?"

"You were in the shower and I was leaving for school. I needed it for school." I knew immediately that she would think I needed it for a school project and if she found out that wasn't true, I'd be in even more trouble, so I tried to make it clear, "I mean that I needed to give it to someone at school…not for school."

Her eyes flared up again, "What did you buy with it?"

I didn't mean to, but my eyes darted to the television and back.

She realized right away that I had bought the game I was playing. "What is this?' She said walking over to look at the TV. "A new game?"

"I got it for $20 from a kid at school. His Mom made him sell it. It's a real deal, this is the latest version, $60 in the stores. Please Auri? I'm sorry, I'll never do it again."

She looked at the screen, I had paused it. The scene was frozen with people being splattered on the sidewalk. "Is that blood?" She turned and looked at me, "Answer me. Is that supposed to be blood?"

I knew what was coming, "Yeah."

She started looking around my room, "Where's the jacket for the game…the cover?"

I reluctantly handed it to her, the large M clearly displayed in the corner.

She shook her head and took a deep breath, "Take it out of the console."

"Ah, Auri, Dad let's me watch R rated movies. He doesn't mind."

She looked in my eyes to call my bluff, "I'll talk to your Dad."

I was so angry. I had been the big guy on campus walking around with the game in my backpack. All my friends were scheduled to come over on the weekend to play it. Now I was going to look like a loser with Auri and Dad taking it away from me. I took the game out of the console and exploded, "_I hate you! I hate you, I hate your baby. Dad and I were doing just fine before you started living with us!_" I put the game in the cover and tossed it at her. I threw myself on my bed, face down, "I wish you'd go away, go back to California." I lifted my head and looked at her, she looked sad, "I wish we'd never met you."

We were both silent and then Auri gave me a nod, "You're Dad will talk to you and decide what your punishment should be when he gets home." Auri shut the door and I banged my fist against my pillow.

Around 6 pm Auri opened my door without knocking.

I snapped, "Don't you knock?"

I could feel a wave of anger from her, but then it was gone, "Your Dad is going to be late. Do you have any homework this weekend?"

I shook my head.

"I have dinner ready, come down and eat. You can come back up and pout after you eat."

In my best pissed off voice, I mumbled, "I'm not hungry."

"Fine." She closed the door and went downstairs.

I waited another hour, hoping Dad would get home. I could get him to see it my way and then I'd get to eat, I was starving. Another hour passed and I realized I was going to have to swallow my words, go downstairs and get something to eat. But then I heard the front door open. I took off down the stairs in the hopes that I could get to Dad first. He was hanging up his motorcycle jacket and she had just walked out of the kitchen to greet him.

"Dad!" I smiled, looking furtively at Auri. "_Dad…_"

Dad looked at me, then at Auri, realizing something was wrong, "Whoa, whoa…just a second dude."

"But, Dad, _Dad!_ _I need to tell you something!"_

Auri looked really mad, "Greg, Furey and I have a problem. I need to talk to you."

He nodded at Auri, "Okay, as soon as I talk to him, he asked first." My Dad turned to me, but we both looked back at Auri.

The blast of anger she was sending our way was overwhelming. "_Greg! This isn't first come, first serve! I'm the adult and if I say I need to talk to you, you talk to me!"_

I was actually afraid. This was a deal breaker. If my Dad talked to me first, Auri was so angry, I had a feeling she'd leave, just walk out. I was going to tell Dad to talk to Auri, as much as I hated Auri, I really wanted her to marry Dad. Dad looked at me and then back at Auri.

"Sorry Dude, pissed off fiancé outranks naughty son. I better find out what you did and get back to you."

I was actually relieved, but I still gave them both dirty looks and went up the stairs. I tried to figure out why Auri had turned into Attila the Hun. Lately, she'd been yelling a lot at me, especially as we got closer to the wedding, which was going to be the Saturday after next.

I heard a little yelling downstairs so I crept to the top of the landing and listened. I could only make out some of it.

"You can't protect him! He stole from my wallet!"

"Like the kid says, I always tell him to get the money from my wallet."

"_Yeah, but after he asks! He didn't ask!"_

"Calm down! You're making a mountain out of a molehill."

"What? You can't really mean that? Your son took $20 from my wallet to buy a game that he knows he's not allowed to have!"

"What game?"

"_Great Auto Thefts_!"

"Uh…_Grand Theft Auto_? How ironic that he would steal the money to buy that."

"_Greg!"_

"Okay, I'll talk to him."

"Talk?" she yelled.

"Well, what do you suggest?"

There was quiet and then they walked into the kitchen where their voices became muffled. I couldn't take it; I listened to Auri's thoughts.

_He's not taking me seriously. He's poo-pooing this as if it's nothing! How are we ever going to agree on how to raise the baby if his idea of discipline is to say, "Naughty, naughty!" I can't do this. The wedding plans are falling apart, the baby hasn't kicked yet, I feel tired all the time and now Furey hates me! I just want to go away, hide my head in the sand. I feel like running away from these two as fast as I can. I was a fool to think I could be a good parent to a ten year old. He's never going to listen to me._

I heard something break in the kitchen, a glass and then some mumbling. I ran up the stairs just in time to hear my Dad climbing the steps. My door opened and there was my Dad, shaking his head. He came over, grabbed a couple of tennis balls and started juggling them. Standing in front of me, the lime green tennis balls were being tossed in rapid succession. I often wondered what my Dad was like before his bad leg. He's so coordinated and really energetic at times; I bet he was fun. I know he played sports because I see old equipment in the closets and photos of him playing tennis, golf, LaCross and I think, soccer.

He didn't even pause the juggling, "Well Dude, you screwed up. You took money without permission and you spent it on a game you know is rated M."

I jumped to my defense, "_But_ _you let me watch R rated movies!_"

"Yeah, well, you can kiss that goodbye. Your new stepmother is probably going to put an end to that."

My mouth opened in disappointment, "Dad, you have to be _the man_, tell her she can't tell _us_ what to do."

"Yeah, right. Not, if I want to get lucky in this lifetime. I'm afraid she _can_ tell us what to do; at least, she has to think she can. Dude, the reality is that there's a new Sheriff in town and she's pissed."

"Daaaad! But, I always get money out of your wallet."

"But, only after I tell you to." He put the balls on the ground, "You _knew_ this was a bad idea. The fact that you didn't even talk to Auri or me about buying the game is pre-teen sign language for, "I'm gonna try and get this one past my folks.""

I clenched my teeth, "She's _not my_ folk…she's _nobody_ to me."

He snickered, "Look, if she doesn't piss you off at least once a day, then she's not being a very good mother. You're traveling through the hormonal rollercoaster of pre-adolescence and you're gonna do a lot of things that are going to piss us both off. It's a good thing she's here; I forget that you're a kid sometimes. She doesn't. And she may be nobody to you, but she loves you. You're lucky that you have two parental units that love you."

"She's not my parent!"

"She is and she isn't. I expect you to treat her with respect and do what she says." He sighed, "She says I have to dole out the discipline because you're my kid, but believe me, if she tells you to do something, you better do it. Shit rolls downhill and if she gives me a bawling out like I just got, you're going to get the other end of it."

_"I hate her. I hate the baby. I hate this wedding."_

"You're entitled. Lucky for us, I think she's hot. The fact that she saved my son, not once, but twice and is here to make us dinner, run you to soccer games and plan for us to go out on the weekends, is a big plus in her favor. You know you'd never have gone to half the places we went this summer if Auri hadn't been here. So, go ahead and hate her, hate your brother, hate the wedding, but remember that she loves you and that's not going to change."

He got up to leave, "Oh, I'm keeping the game at work and you can get it back when you turn 14. In the meantime, you have to do chores to pay Auri back, starting tomorrow. And, if I were you, I wouldn't be messing around at the wedding. Behave at the wedding and I bet a lot of your sins will be forgiven. Now, come down and get some food, Auri's worried because you haven't eaten."

I was angry at him for giving in to her, for punishing me, "I'm not hungry."

"Bullshit. Now get downstairs or I'll start getting pissed and, remember, you just got a new computer…don't push it."

I remembered him throwing my old one out the window when he got mad, so I made my way downstairs and walked into the kitchen behind him. Auri said nothing to me, but I could feel her. It was an odd mixture of annoyance and affection. I wasn't sure if she wanted to swat me or hug me. She put a plate in front of me with something made of chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes. It was really good or maybe I was really hungry, but I finished it quickly and then, without a word, Auri put a bowl of ice cream in front of me and a small glass of milk. I watched her as she cleared the counter and then went over by Dad. He was reading a journal, but without even looking up, he put his arm around her and gave her a quick hug. She put her arm around him and kissed his cheek then walked out to the living room. I didn't know what I should do. Normally, on a Friday night, if no one was spending the night, my family would watch a DVD or TV together. I rinsed my dishes and stood in the middle of the kitchen. Dad pushed his plate towards me.

"Rinse that for me dude."

I rinsed it for him and then I stood with my hands in my pocket.

"Let me give you a clue, if you're ready to forgive and forget, Auri's feeling pretty sad, thinking you don't love her, she might like a hug or something like that."

I nodded, I was feeling bad. Auri took good care of Dad and me. She made Dad take us out each weekend if I wasn't off doing something. She helped me with my homework and she always made sure I had lunch or lunch money. I liked it when she played games with me, sometimes playing Wii sports. So I went out to the living room. Approaching the couch, I could feel her; she was curious. I sat down less than a foot from her and then crawled over and leaned on her. I put my head on her shoulder. She put her arm around me and we watched television until ten when they finally sent me to bed.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

**Where Are You Going My Blue Eyed Son?**

Greg was lying in the bed, one arm on the pillow under his head, the other holding his journal. I walked from the bathroom over to my side of the bed and sat down. I wanted to talk to Greg, but when he was in the middle of one of his journals he hated to be interrupted. I waited, but it must have been a long article, because he didn't look up.

I couldn't take it anymore, "Do you think he loves me again?"

There was a pause as he continued to read for a few seconds and then he looked up at me over his reading glasses, "He never stopped loving you. He's a ten year old. If he doesn't tell you he hates you every once in awhile then you're not being a Mom." He went back to his journal.

"But, he doesn't say that to you!"

Greg rolled his eyes, "Because he knows that when I'm really pissed there are real consequences…like his computer going out the window. He feels comfortable challenging you." He gave me a silly look, "_It's good! He feels safe_. He knows that even if he pisses you off, you'll still love him. That's good, right?"

I thought about all the fights I had with my Dad and how I knew that nothing I said to him could keep him from loving me. It meant that I could test the boundaries and still feel safe. I was starting to understand. "You're saying that I'm providing him a safe environment for him to become a man and I need to calm down."

"Damn woman, that's why I'm marrying you, you're smart!"

"Ha, ha." I crawled under the covers and over near him, hoping he'd put down his journal. I was feeling pretty vulnerable. I was almost twenty weeks pregnant and hadn't felt the baby move. All the baby books had said I should have felt him move by now. Logically I knew he was okay because Furey could feel him and I'd heard his heartbeat, but I still worried. I was on pins and needles. The pressure of the wedding, learning how to be a step-mother, my recovery from almost being killed, it was all a lot to deal with and I wasn't doing well. I wanted Greg to hug me, make me feel calm, loved, safe. But, he kept reading. I turned on my side, my butt nudged up against him and tried to go to sleep. About five minutes later, Greg put his journal on the nightstand, turned and wrapped himself around me.

"I like sleeping with the wicked stepmother, she's sexy." He rubbed my belly. "Okay, Mommy Dearest, what's going on with you? You've been moping around here all night."

"The dress doesn't fit; they can't get the flowers we ordered for the centerpieces; the DJ told me he might be late because he's doing a gig for his nephew; and, your Mom and Suzie fly in on the same day."

Greg kissed the back of my head, "I have a solution."

I turned my head to look over my shoulder, barely making him out in the dark, "What?"

"I'll turn the light on and we can have hot sex. It will relax you."

I was horny. I'd been horny for a solid month, wanting to jump him as soon as he walked through the door, but I didn't because something would come up and I'd have to attend to it. We'd had sex maybe five times in the last four weeks. I was beginning to pleasure myself when he wasn't around.

I turned completely around, "That would be great, not a solution, but still a welcomed distraction."

"That's good, because I was beginning to wonder if you'd stop putting out now that you had the ring."

I giggled, "If you only knew how horny I've been. If you'd crook your finger I'd open my legs."

"Then why haven't we been having sex every night and morning?" He chuckled.

"Because by the time I go to bed at night, I'm so wound up from everything, all I can think of is what I have to do tomorrow."

"I tell you what, I'll screw you silly and then you won't care."

"Works for me. Now, shut up and start earning your keep."

"Let's make love at the bottom of the bed so I can watch you in the mirror."

"Honey, whatever you want, as long as you make me scream."

We pulled the covers off, locked the door (which Greg had installed recently) and raced to take our clothes off. I really wanted to feel a warm, hairy body against me. Greg sat on the edge of the bed and then pulled me between his legs. I bent down and kissed him.

"I think I'd like a little felatio if you don't mind." He smiled at me."

I dropped to my knees and he scooted forward. His penis was starting to get hard. It was at that point where it dances around as the blood engorges it. I grabbed it in mid-air, stuck out my tongue, tasting him from his balls, up the blue veined shaft to the head. When my mouth went around the head I saw a painful look of pleasure cross his face. I dragged my tongue around the rim and back down the shaft as I slowly pumped with my hand. After doing this over and over several times, Greg had started to push up and down in rhythm to my pumping. A little gasp escaped from his mouth as I sucked on it. The whole time, my hand was still pumping. I let go of his ball and straightened up.

"Don't you dare come unless you're inside me. I feel empty, like I need you to fill me up with this nice plump hard-on. "

Voice hoarse, he managed to say, "Then you better get on, because you do that any longer and you'll have it all over your face."

I stood up and he faced towards the mirror in a sitting position, his legs hanging off the bed. I kneeled on either side of him and lowered myself onto the head without going any further. I wanted to savor the feel of him at my entrance. I rubbed back and forth, letting it rub against my clit. Greg was watching this in the mirror like a voyeur. He could see the reflection of my ass and back as I played with him. After a minute or so of watching, he took a fistful of my breast and squeezed it before latching onto the nipple and sucking. It sent waves of mini-contractions to my vagina. I could feel the pulsing around the head of his erection as it penetrated a few inches inside me. Pulling back he looked at my breasts and then smiled up at me before looking again in the mirror.

As he watched himself in the mirror, he bucked up inside of me so deep I could feel him hit my cervix. He pulled slowly pulled out, his shaft glistening from my juices. He did it again, fast and hard. I let out a little yelp and he looked up, making sure I was okay. He watched again as he pulled out slowly. I leaned down and rubbed my breasts on his chest while he ran his hands over my ass, pulling me apart so he could have a better view. Again, he penetrated me, but this time he didn't pull out as far. Faster and faster he bucked up.

I could feel all of him inside of me. The angle I was at allowed me to move up and down on my knees to help him penetrate me. He pushed and pulled on my ass, while he remained motionless on the bed, making me do all of the pumping. I could smell the sex mixed with his smell and it made me pump harder. I watched his face contort and his mouth open. Nothing escaped but he started bucking up as I slammed down. This lasted only a few minutes and then he cried out. I kept pumping up and down on my knees and he kept moaning until he tried to pull away. Then he chuckled when I pumped one last time, knowing he was in the discomfort zone.

"You minx."

He stopped my movements with his hands on my ass. Rolling me onto the bed he rubbed my clit and then his finger inside of me, pulling out the semen and juices to wet me. He was rubbing my clit with his thumb while he began to rub around my anus. The sensation was too much, I started coming hard. He could tell by the way my abdomen tightened along with my thighs. He started plunging his fingers into my vagina while still rubbing my clit.

I grabbed onto his back and clung as the pleasure filled my groin and the contractions tried to grip his fingers. "Oh God Greg, that's good. Oh." I couldn't say anymore. All my energy and muscles were being used to increase and prolong my hormone driven orgasm. When I couldn't take it anymore, I crossed my legs and pulled back.

"Have you been fucked silly yet?" he asked.

"I'm on my way. Next time I get to tie you down and do naughty things to you." I gave him a wicked grin.

Greg smiled and shook his head, "I'm the one who likes to be the master."

I kind of pouted and he laughed, "Alright Mistress Auri, next time, you get to be in control. Now can we go to sleep?"

"Amen, let me just get a little cleaned up."

Greg followed me into the bathroom and together we washed up. I straightened the covers and got under them as Greg was crawling in. We cuddled a little, as much as Greg would allow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was Saturday and around eight in the morning the door to our bedroom opened and Furey poked his head in. I motioned for him to come over. He sat down on top of the duvet and then placed his head on the pillow next to mine.

"Auri?"

"Yes, Pumpkin?"

"What chores do I have to do today? I'd like to go to Mike's, but I know I have to pay you back."

His cute little face was inches from mine. I reached out and kissed him on the forehead, "Start by cleaning your room. Dust, vacuum, put your things away. Then I'll give you one more chore and we'll call it even. Okay?"

He smiled and nodded. Putting an arm over me, he hugged me. "Auri?"

"Hmmm?"

"I love you."

My heart lifted immediately, "I love you too, sweetie."

Furey got up and took off. I felt a hand on my butt and a mock child's voice in my ear, "Auri, I love you."

"I'd know that hand anywhere."

"One thing I like about living with a woman is being able to do this anytime I want." He began massaging my butt

I reached around and grabbed his balls, eliciting a sharp yelp, "Yeah and I can do that. Isn't love grand?"

An arm wrapped around me and pulled me closer to him. He kissed my ear and neck. "Let's lock the door and continue what we started last night."

"Sorry, I have a repentant child waiting to do penance. Plus, I have to pick up the house because your mother and Suzie both arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, you could go get the car washed."

"You're picking a clean car over sex?" He pretended to pout, "Ah, the thrill is gone."

"Oh God, get your butt out of bed and let's get going."

I quickly showered and dressed in Levis and a sweater. Pausing down the hall to observe Furey clean his room, I stopped to watch. He'd obviously found something he hadn't seen in awhile because he had stopped cleaning to study it. I knocked on his door and he looked up.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"I found this puzzle Dad I used to put together when I was a kid." He held it up. It was a box of a 3D puzzle of the Empire State Building.

"Do you want to give it away?"

He tilted his head, "Nah, I'll keep it to put it together with the baby when he's older."

I smiled, glad that apparently the baby had been forgiven too, "That's nice! Well, I'm going to make breakfast, anything special you want?"

He shook his head.

"Okay, I'll see you downstairs."

After he was done with his bedroom, I assigned Furey the task of vacuuming the downstairs, which he did and then took off with his friend. I gave Greg additional instructions on things to do, which he promptly ignored, and then I took off for my fitting. Arriving at the bridal shop, I worried that my bulge would be too much for the dress, which was purchased with the idea that I would be four months pregnant at the wedding. But my bust had gotten bigger than anyone had anticipated and my baby was riding high. It turned out that I had to have the cups enlarged and an inch taken out just under my bustline to allow for the baby bump. I waited not so patiently to try it on for the last time. When they brought it out, I was relieved to find that it fit perfectly and, barring any massive increase in my bump over the next six days, there would be no need for any more fittings.

On my way home I fielded questions from all over the country, not by phone, not by text message, but by telepathy. People were contacting me to ask about reservations, times, locations, colors, gift ideas. My mind was working overtime fielding all the questions and messages. I was dead tired from the running around and the overblown psychic circuits in my head. I decided I was going to have to just block everything and everyone for a few days. If they wanted to contact me, they'd just have to contact me like civilians did, phone, email or letter.

I got home and found Greg, feet up, golf channel on, beer on coffee table, head back, snoring. At first I was angry, but then I realized that maybe I could join him and we could take a nap. I needed one. I crawled up on the sofa and put my head in his lap, waking him.

"Do you want to unzip that while you're down there?" he asked.

"Go back to sleep, I want to take a nap." I closed my eyes and felt him lift my head, put a throw pillow under it then sit it back down. Within a minute I was asleep with his hand on my arm. I woke up an hour later feeling better and ready to clean the house. I lifted up and couldn't resist cuddling back under his arm and kissing his neck and cheek. He opened up one eye and looked down at me.

He sighed, "Yeah, okay, I'll get up and put the boxes up in the attic."

"Well, that's great, but I really just wanted to cuddle. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed."

He groaned, but put an arm around me and hugged me hard, kissing the top of my head. After a few minutes I got up and started cleaning. I made the guest room into a room for Blythe and Suzie was going to stay in Furey's room, so I had to straighten it up a little more and make some room in the closet. Furey was going to go stay with Jim and Jennifer.

I cooked some things to freeze for the rest of the week and then collapsed, preparing myself for my future mother-in-law's descent into our home. I was nervous. What future daughter-in-law wouldn't be? Sure I had met her several times, but not with the idea that I would be marrying her 57 year old son and having another grandchild. I didn't sleep and that's not good. When a psychic gets stressed and fatigued, things happen.

**Dear Readers...**

**I know...more intimate moments. But, they are finally together! Only 28 pages to go! Thanks for reading and please leave me a note, thanks! Gorby**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

**Short Circuit**

I got home from school and something was wrong. I was receiving the strangest thoughts and feelings. I wasn't sure if they were coming from Auri, because there were so many thoughts being beamed in our direction from all over the United States and Europe it was hard to make sense of them all. In fact, there had been so many that I had to close the gate to get some peace. But, these strange thoughts were piercing through the gate they were so erratic and _loud._ I was going to ask Auri, but one look in her eyes and the way her mouth was stretched into such an odd shape that I decided to avoid her for the next few hours. I'd never seen her look so stressed. Even when I had been kidnapped or she was being attacked, she managed to stay in control and even took charge. But when I got home, she looked out of control and nowhere near being in charge. I thought I should say something to Dad, but he was at the hospital with a patient.

My Grandmother and Auri's friend were both flying in from San Diego on the same flight. I was a little worried about Auri, she was running around the house like a chicken with its head cut off.

"Auri, can I go with you to pick up Grandmom?"

Auri stopped and looked at me, her eyes a little wild. It took a few seconds before what I said registered with her.

"Oh, yeah, sure, honey. You're grandmother will love that. You better go brush your teeth, we have to leave soon."

I ran up the stairs to brush my teeth and heard, _Damn breasts, they hurt! Damn Cherokee panties. Keep sneaking up. Need to change. Oh, Christ, I forgot the clothes in the dryer. Stop! No! I won't answer anything, stop! Tommy, call me or email me, I'm not taking intuitive telegrams. Christ! Need to go, need to go! Where's Furey?_

"Furey? Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm coming!" I ran down the stairs where Auri was putting on her jacket. I grabbed mine and we were out the door.

The traffic was terrible and Auri was getting really nervous, anxious. Her thoughts were so loud; I was having trouble hearing my own. The baby was agitated. I don't know why, but I got the impression that Auri being upset had something to do with it.

"Auri?"

She didn't respond, her mind just kept spinning.

"Auri?"

I think she finally heard, "Huh? Oh, huh?"

"Auri, the baby."

She looked over, her head tilted, "Baby?"

"The baby is very nervous."

She was quiet, digesting what I said, "Nervous?"

"You're really, really, loud, broadcasting all over the place. The baby is sending me really strong impressions. You need to calm down."

She wasn't happy with me telling her what to do, but then she realized that I was trying to help the baby, "I'm sorry Furey, you're right. I'm just nervous about meeting your grandmother again."

"I can tell. But, Grandmom is okay. You don't need to be afraid of her."

"Someday sweetie, you'll understand. No girl is ever good enough for your little boy. I'll be scrutinizing all the women you bring home." She smiled at me.

"Grandmom likes you. She likes that you're here to take care of me and Dad. She even likes that you're going to have another baby. She thinks Dad does better when he's a Daddy, he's not so mean. I think he's mean, but she says I didn't know him before I was born."

Auri actually laughed, "Well, I guess she would know. Aren't we lucky that we didn't know him then?"

We both giggled. Auri was more relaxed and the baby calmed down too. We got to the airport just as the plane was landing. My grandmother arrived first, running down the aisle towards us in a pant suit, her arms open ready to scoop me up. Her arms went around my shoulders and she kissed me over and over.

"Gregory! You've grown so much, darling! I'm so happy to see you, honey." I was overwhelmed with all the feelings of love and kindness. I should have remembered that Grandmoms come with bulldozers of love and affection. I had to step back from her and I hurt her feelings by doing that. She just didn't understand how sensitive I was to emotion.

I jumped to the defensive, "Grandmom, I really love you. I'm glad you're here. I just have a little cold and don't want you to get it."

"Oh, come here, I don't care about a little cold." She hugged me again.

Auri raised an eyebrow at me, wondering where I had come up with the lie about the cold. I had steeled myself for another wave of Grandmom's affection and so I was able to handle it when she hugged me again. Auri turned and immediately waved to someone coming up the aisle. She started walking towards a woman that was obviously Suzie. I could feel the affection they had for each other. Grandmom finally let me go and we watched Auri and Suzie embrace. Suzie rubbed Auri's tummy and there was a lot of giggling and high shrill sounds between them. After a minute or so of wide smiles, they came over to us.

Suzie was hot, even I could tell that. She looked like an older version of Katherine Zeta Jones. I was mesmerized as we walked down the escalator. The baggage carousel started up, and luggage started pouring out the hole. I kept stealing looks over at Suzie. I couldn't believe that anyone could be that gorgeous. She could see me watching her so she walked over, put an arm around me and gave me a kiss on my cheek. I felt my pulse rate go up.

"So you're Teag's boy? Your Mom was one of a kind. A sweet and amazing woman. I loved her a lot."

Grandmom watched this, a little suspicious, wondering if Suzie was being genuine. But, I could tell she was. She cared a lot about my Mom and was really curious about me. Grandmom pointed to her luggage and I grabbed it. Suzie grabbed hers. I quickly tried to help, but she had it. We got home and all sat around having drinks and cookies.

Auri looked over at me, "Furey, please take your Grandmother's bag up to her room and Suzie's to yours."

Grandmom looked at Auri, "Where's Furey going to sleep?"

"At Jim and Jen's."

I could feel my Grandmom's disappointment, she had wanted to spend as much time with me and Dad as possible. She was both sad and a little bit angry. I could see that Auri picked it up too.

"Auri, can I stay and sleep on the couch?" I asked.

"Of course honey, we just thought you'd want to sleep in a bed. Of course you can, this is your home." Auri looked up at Grandmom, worried that she had offended her, "I'm sorry Blythe, I didn't think. We'll put him up on the couch. No problem."

Grandmom was upset with Auri, I think she thought that Auri was trying to come between us, but if she only knew how stressed out Auri was, she'd know that Auri had only been thinking about my comfort.

"Grandmom, I'm sorry, but I asked to go over and spend some time with Jim, Jen and Sarah. I don't stay with them very often anymore. But, now that you're here, I realize I want to stay here with you."

Auri's mouth opened slightly in shock that I had taken the heat off of her, but then she closed it and sent me a message._ I love you little man._

I smiled at her, _Yeah, you owe me._

We all went out to the living room and sat down to talk. Grandmom went up to take a bath and I stayed behind to stare at Suzie. She kept smiling at me. At one point, she patted the couch next to her and I went over to sit next to her. She smelled like vanilla and sounded like a melodic cello. Her voice was a girl's, but deep. I didn't understand why I liked to watch her, but she made my heart go faster whenever she said my name.

"I forgot! I have something for you Furey." She jumped up, "Where's my bag?"

Auri piped up, "Middle bedroom. Look for the USS Enterprise."

Suzie rolled her eyes and went up the stairs. She had on these tight black slacks that stopped halfway down her calves. Her top was a red sweater that came down on her chest and you could see a lot of her boobs. She had on black high heels, something Auri rarely wore unless she was in a dress and going out with Dad. Her hair was black and it was rolled and pinned in back. Going up the stairs I leaned over so I could watch. Her butt wiggled back and forth when she went up. She was really hot.

Auri looked over at me, "You have a crush on her don't you?"

I shrugged my shoulders, but knew I couldn't hide it from Auri, "She's pretty and nice."

Auri smiled, "It's true. She doesn't have any trouble finding boyfriends."

We could hear her coming down the stairs just as the front door opened. Dad walked through the door and looked up the stairs at Suzie. Their eyes met and they both stopped. I could feel something from my Dad that made me uncomfortable, he liked Suzie or he felt something for Suzie. Whatever it was, it was strong.

And Suzie liked him, she let out a thought that I don't think she meant to, _Damn he's hot…his son looks just like him. _

They just stood and stared at each other for a few seconds, a few awkward seconds. I looked over at Auri, wondering if she heard Suzie and felt Dad. I should have known better, Auri's much more in tuned with both of them than I am. I could see in Auri's face and knew that she was hurt. Her emotions were really running high and this made it worse. She was so nervous and anxious that I worried again about the baby. I wanted Dad to stop staring at Suzie and look at Auri, but he didn't. Suzie was a puzzle to my Dad and he loved puzzles.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

**Tennessee Waltz**

Their eyes locked and neither one of them moved. Greg was sending out the most primal feelings of sexual attraction I have ever felt in a man and Suzie was reciprocating. If Furey and I hadn't been there, it wouldn't have taken much dialogue to get them to adjourn to a bedroom. I was used to men fawning and being attracted to Suzie, but it took a lot for her to take an interest in a man. She wasn't just interested in Greg; she was Nancy to his Sid. I couldn't breathe; the emotion of it all was overwhelming. I started to get extremely anxious until I saw Furey's little face out of the corner of my eye. He was looking over at me, clearly worried. I suspected it had something to do about the baby. Just when I was going to send him a message to ask him what was wrong, I felt it. The baby fluttered for the first time.

"_Oh! Oh!"_ I grabbed my abdomen.

Greg turned and looked at me, his face beet red from blushing. He closed the door, took a quick glance up at Suzie, who was walking slowly down the stairs, and then back at me. "What is it?" He asked.

I grinned and jumped for joy, "I felt the baby! I felt the baby move!"

Greg smiled and took off his coat, hanging it on a hook by the door. He walked over and gave me a peck on the lips, "Good, maybe you'll stop worrying." He looked over at Suzie, who was now standing by the couch handing Furey a wrapped gift.

I knew the polite thing to do was to introduce them, but I couldn't' help thinking I was signing my own death warrant. I hesitated and then cleared my throat, "Greg, this is Suzie, Suzie, Greg."

Greg didn't smile, he just nodded at her. She put out her hand and shook it, gently.

"I'm glad to finally meet the man who picked not one, but two psychics to get involved with. You must be quite a man."

I waited for some cutting or snappy retort, but there was none, "Thank you. So Furey, what did you get?"

Furey was pulling out a perfect model of a Star Trek communicator, "Whoa! A communicator. Look, Dad! Wow, thanks Suzie, really, it's awesome."

I was happy for Furey, he loved the gift; it was the perfect choice for him. Greg looked around a little. I spoke up, "Your Mom is upstairs."

He nodded, took another look at Suzie, concentrating on her breasts, and then went into the kitchen. "When's dinner?" I heard him yell.

"As soon as your mother gets down. In fact, Furey, come help set the table honey."

Furey looked up and nodded. After first planting a kiss firmly on Suzie's cheek, he got up and went with me into the kitchen. I kept rubbing my tummy, hoping I had really felt the baby move and not just having a reaction to the stress of what I had just witnessed. I was leaning on the counter, my hands gripping the edge, trying not to think about it, when Furey put a hand on top of mine and squeezed. His hands were already longer than mine. I looked over at him and he gave me the sweetest smile.

_Auri, it was the baby you felt, don't worry, he's okay. Just think, in a few days, you and Dad will be married and this will all be over._

_Oh sweetie, thanks. I'm just stressed out over all the things I have to do._

_I know why you're stressed. I felt it too._

I didn't respond. I pulled down the plates and watched as Greg went out to the living room to sit on the sofa. The dining room was sandwiched in between the kitchen and the living room. I wasn't as fond of the townhouse as I was my little house, but I discovered after numerous conversations that getting Greg to move or buy another house was like pulling teeth.

We sat down for dinner and naturally, the conversation turned to the wedding. Suzie and Greg tried to avoid looking at each other as much as possible, but I could feel the sexual tension between them. I couldn't take it; I listened into Greg's thoughts.

_Auri noticed; I saw it in her face. She's probably reading my thoughts now…get out of my head Auri; I deserve to think about this in private._

His eyes flashed on mine as if he knew I was in his head. I blushed and pulled out, hoping that they could control whatever it was going on between them. I heard Blythe ask me something, but didn't actually catch the question.

"Auri? Where are you going on your honeymoon?" She asked again.

"Uh…I don't know. Greg is in charge of that. He just said to pack walking shoes and clothes for fall."

Blythe smiled at her son, "Then I'll ask him later."

I caught Suzie smiling at Greg and immediately looked to catch his reaction. He was amused, smiling back until he saw that I was looking. I hardly got through dinner, trying hard to be a good hostess and all the time a trusting fiancé. Suzie had always been a tremendous flirt. It didn't take much of her charm to hook the guys. It was one of those things that you both loved and hated about her. You knew if you went out with her, men would hover around, but then, you also knew she'd pick the best for herself and you'd get her rejects.

We spent the next two days running around finishing the details for the wedding. Greg came home early both days and even offered to chauffeur Suzie to the mall when she moaned that her new shoes were killing her. I wanted to run with them, but I was due at the bakers to pick up the candy for the tables. They were Jordan Almonds with A & G printed on them.

I kept trying to access Greg's thoughts, but when I opened the gate, the stress and traffic in my brain from everyone trying to contact me, was like a huge traffic jam. I only received impressions. Mostly, they were impressions of Greg having a great time. He was laughing and relaxed; something he hadn't been in the last month around me.

That night, I knew I had to stay home and relax. The exhaustion and anxiety were just too much and my stomach was nauseated, my legs were swelling and my head was pounding. Greg was with a patient and indicated he would be home late. Jim and Jen had offered to cook dinner for all of us, but it ended just being Blythe and Furey going over. Suzie and I stayed home to get some chores done. They called and let me know that they were all going to a movie after dinner and would be home around eleven. At eight-thirty, I was dead on my feet so Suzie sent me to bed with a hearty bowl of soup and crackers which I quickly ate and then fell asleep. When I woke up around nine thirty, I could feel Greg nearby. I got up, still groggy, put on my robe and walked barefooted down the stairs. No one was in the living room, but the television was on. I went through the dining room and into the kitchen. Opening the door, I gasped. Standing at the counter, Suzie had her hand on Greg's cheek and was reaching up, eyes closed to kiss him, mouth open, tongue moving forward. Greg saw me and jerked back. I'm not sure if he was jerking back before he saw me or after he saw me.

Greg pushed Suzie away, "Auri!" He ran after me as I shot out the door and up the stairs. I heard him follow, so I slammed the bedroom door closed and locked it.

Pounding on the door he begged, "Auri, let me in. Auri, damn it!"

I ignored him and then I heard Suzie's voice, "Auri, don't blame Greg, it was my fault, please let us in. We need to talk to you."

I yelled through the door, "We? Is that the royal we, or do you two have something you need to tell me about your relationship?"

I was pouting when my head exploded with Greg's voice._ Don't do this. Open the door and let me in, you owe it to me to talk about this. You need an explanation and I have one._

I blasted back, _You're doing fine telepathically. What do you have to say for yourself?_

Bam! The door jamb splintered and the lock popped. Greg pushed open the door, a large wrench in his hand which he had used as a battering ram. Behind him was Suzie, looking more anxious than contrite. He walked over to the bed and grabbed my arm, clinching his teeth.

"Greg, don't bother. I've known from the minute you looked at her that you were attracted to each other."

He rolled his eyes, "Auri, look at her. I'd have to be eunuch not to be. But, I'm not marrying her, I'm marrying you. I love you. I shouldn't have let her get so close in the kitchen, but you know me, I was curious to see if she would betray you. I'm sorry, we both failed you. It was an experiment that went horribly wrong."

"And in this experiment, how far were _you_ going to go? Were you going to kiss her? Feel her up? Fuck her?"

Suzie rushed forward, "Auri, I'm sorry, I've just never felt this way about a man, especially so quickly. I don't know why. I hate what I did, but I had a dream a month ago. I saw Greg and I living together, not you and him. I thought it was meant to be. I didn't realize all the pain it would cause for it to come true."

I almost passed out. Suzie's dreams were almost always correct, unless someone intervened and shifted fate. _Greg is supposed to be with Suzie, not me? Not me? _I was freaking out until I heard his voice blast through my thoughts.

Greg was standing with his arm extended and pointing out the bedroom door, "Out! Get your crap and leave, I want you out. I don't care where you go, what rock you climb under, but get!" I'd never heard Greg so angry. I honestly thought that he was going to hit Suzie.

She stepped towards him, "Greg, we belong together, not you and Auri. Please, it's your …our…destiny. I love Auri, but you and I have one of those attractions that goes beyond words."

"Oh, I can think of a few words, Glen Close, Fatal Attraction." He pointed to the door, "Now get out, I won't tell you again."

She turned, her eyes pleading, "Auri, you know that when I have these dreams, they're almost always right."

"Screw You." My hand was raised, finger pointing to the door.

She ran down the hall to Furey's room and slammed the door.

"I want you out too, Greg. At least out of the bedroom, I don't want to be around you."

"Auri, I was an idiot, my curiosity got the better of me. I admit it, when I first saw her I wanted to screw her silly, but that doesn't mean that I would or that I care about her. It's a guy thing."

"Whatever it is Greg, I feel like you've cheated on me."

He shook his head and gave a sigh of exasperation, "I wasn't going to kiss her or screw her. I just wanted to see how far she'd go behind your back. She started talking to me about this stupid dream of hers, that she knew the minute she saw me that I was the one in her dream, that she and I were supposed to hook up. Auri, don't do this to us. Read me, go ahead, see if I'm telling you the truth."

I didn't have to read him; I could tell that he was being truthful. After all, how many men admit that they want to screw the maid of honor two nights before their wedding? But, the fact that he even tempted fate, combined with her dream, I felt torn. It didn't help that I was exhausted, hormonal and stressed beyond belief.

"Greg, please leave for a few minutes. I really need to be by myself."

He refused to budge.

"Look, the door is busted; you can come back in at any time. Please give me a moment."

He frowned, but then he got up and left the room. A few minutes ago I heard screaming downstairs. He and Suzie were fighting, I listened into her thoughts.

_I'm so alone, I've been so alone lately. This is my last chance to get him to leave her, come with me. He had to be the man in my dreams, that connection when we met, it was too hot. It must have been him in my dreams. I need to convince him. _

Her thoughts were chaotic, coming from several directions, maniacal. If I hadn't been so stressed, I would have probably seen it or felt it earlier-- felt that she had been acting strange since she had met Greg. It was only then that it dawned on me that she had been wrong about the dates of our wedding. Her premonitions were off.

_She isn't sure the dream had been about Greg! She was only guessing because of that sexual connection on the stairs. Oh my God!_

I ran downstairs where they were still yelling at each other. I looked over at Suzie, crying _"Oh my God, Suzie, you're not even sure if your dream is about him! _How could you do that? How could you make a move on my fiancé when you didn't even know if he was the one you had seen? Something isn't right. You need help. I'm serious; I can hear that chaos in your mind, you need to fly home and see a shrink."

She looked at me with horror in her eyes, "But, Auri, it seemed so real, the connection felt right. I just thought…"

Greg got in her face, "Get the hell out of here before I do something you'll sue me over."

Looking between us, she knew she needed to leave, "I need a ride to a hotel."

"Tough, goodbye." He grabbed her luggage and tossed it outside. Suzie followed, looking back at me with tears in her eyes.

I went over to the phone, dialed a cab for her and then walked back up the stairs.

Greg yelled up the stairs, "Auri, please."

"Greg, I need some space, just let me have some space."

About ten minutes later there was a loud noise from everyone coming through the front door. I heard Jim and Blythe's voices and then Furey's.

"Auri?" He called out. "Auri?"

Greg's voice tried to calm him, "She's a little upset, leave her alone."

I walked to the top of the stairs, but everyone had gone into the living room. I could hear them, but not see them.

"We were in the middle of the movie and Furey started hyperventilating, yelling at us that we had to leave, things were bad at home. He seems to think you were kissing Suzie and that Auri was thinking about calling the wedding off."

"Dad, is Auri leaving us?" Furey's voice broke my heart, he sounded so scared, so worried.

Blythe spoke up, "Honey, everything will be okay. Where's Suzie?"

Greg's voice was final, "Gone."

Jim's went up an octave, "Then he's right, you made a move on Suzie!"

"_She made a move on me!" _

"_Dad! Why did you do this? To Auri, to me, to my brother? Don't you love us?"_

Blythe sounded distressed, "Greg. How did you let it go that far?"

"Will anyone listen to me? _I wasn't the one who made the pass! Suzie did!"_

Wilson's voice was distressed, "And you expect us to believe, no, you expect Auri to believe that you had nothing to do with it?"

Greg's voice was angry, "Furey, go upstairs to your room, she's not in there anymore."

I stepped quietly back into the bedroom and heard his steps come up the stairs and down the hall. He came immediately to the bedroom, his eyes huge.

"Did Dad do that?" He motioned to the door.

I nodded and held out my arms. He ran into them and hugged me like he was drowning.

"I love you pumpkin."

"Auri, Dad loves you. I could feel it the whole time. He wasn't going to kiss her. He kept seeing your face, he kept feeling how much he loved you and he didn't. He really didn't kiss her."

"I know honey. It's just that it hurts to know that he could let it get that far, he should have told me something was wrong with Suzie. She needs help, not your Dad's tricks."

"Auri, are you going to marry _us_ on Saturday?"

Furey knew just how to get to me. He was even better at it than his Dad. He wanted me to know I was marrying the family, not just his Dad. I had to give the kid credit; he was already a master manipulator, just like Greg.

"Yes, I'm going to marry your Dad. I still love him a lot, love you too. We better go down and put him out of his misery, huh?"

He nodded and grinned.

As we went down the stairs, Furey practically ran announcing, "She's going to marry us. She's going to stay!"

I looked at Greg's face and it was covered with relief. Everyone else was still angry at him, but their postures began to soften. I looked at his mother and Jim, "Greg is telling the truth, Suzie made the pass. It didn't help that Greg let her get close enough to kiss him, but he did not make the overture." I went over and sat next to Greg, who lifted an eyebrow up and offered me his hand. I squeezed it. "I think it's best if we all just forget that this happened."

"Now you're without a maid of honor." Jen pointed out.

"I have the dress, though. Jen, how would you like the honor?"

"Auri, there's no way I'm going to fit into Suzie's dress, she's far too petite. I'm sorry. But, you know, Lisa Cuddy is about her size."

I nodded. Lisa had been good to Greg and we tended to get along well. I called her a few minutes later and explained the situation. She wasn't too surprised, mentioning something like, 'If it can happen to someone, it will happen to House.' But she agreed to come over the next day and try on the dress.

That night Greg stood, staring at the battered door, "Crap, now how are we going to have sex?"

I snickered, "Quietly."

"Bathroom sex?"

"Let's cuddle and see what happens."

"I almost lost you today, I need to pee on the hydrant, reclaim my property. I need possession sex."

"Possession sex?"

"I put my mark on you to let all the males know you're my mate."

"I think the ring does that."

He wrinkled his nose and eyes, "That's not necessarily true for all males. No, they need a strong scent of an alpha male, me, marking the female's genitalia, that would be you."

"Go to bed and be grateful you're still allowed to get your alpha male pheromones on my sheets." I thought for a second, "Greg, did you notice that you communicated with me telepathically without piggybacking on my thoughts? I think you have a high psi factor which is probably why the baby is so intuitive."

"Well, whatever I did, I don't know how to do it again. I was really agitated. I didn't know what I was doing."

As soon as the lights were out, a hand slid up my pajama top to my breast, first just feeling under it and massaging it with his hands, then he pinched my nipples and pushed his hard-on into my back.

"Knock, knock. Alpha male calling."

I was tired, with all the drama and tears, I just wanted sleep. But, I was on my side and he was at full salute with a hard on that had to be tended to. I sighed, slipped my panties off and leaned forward, lifting up my leg, he turned, grabbed some lubricant and lathered up. He pulled my leg up in the air and found my slit, penetrating as much as you could from the side. I know this sounds horrible, but I fell asleep while he was slipping in and out. When he started the slide from third to home and the pounding picked up, I woke up too. His grunting was loud and I was afraid the people down the hall might hear so I took up the rhythm and brought him to climax quickly. His grunts as he came were always primal, very male, very much like someone pounding a railroad tie into the ground. He started playing with my clitoris, but I grabbed his hand.

"Honey, I'll take a rain check, I want to sleep."

"As long as you don't wash. I need that scent to permeate so that all the other alpha males get the signal at the wedding."

I nodded, "Right, when they all go to smell my genitals, they'll immediately know you were there first."

"You got it."

"Goodnight honey."

"Auri. I love you."

I turned over and looked up into those sad, repentant eyes, "I know, believe me, you wouldn't be here if I didn't know how much you love me and need me."

**Dear Readers- Only two more chapters and we're done! Thanks for staying with me-I hope you've enjoyed the story! Gorby**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

**Intuitives Converge**

I was one of the groomsmen so I had to dress in a tux. Auri and Grandmom were surprised when Dad and I got home with a size 36 tux for me and size 8 shoes, in men's sizes. My Dad just shrugged and said that I was growing, big deal.

Auri and Dr. Cuddy spent several hours at the tailors before finally coming home. The wedding was at 5:00 pm with the dinner reception immediately afterwards. I tried to stay out of everyone's way. Grandmom made me lunch and we ate in the kitchen. When Dad got home, Grandmom fed him too.

At 1:30 pm, while we were driving over to get the boutonnières, Dad got a call. His team informed him that he had a patient, an important one, the Undersecretary of State, I didn't even know that the Secretary of State had an Undersecretary of State! He hung up and immediately called Auri.

"I've just been called in…Well, if Cuddy is there, ask if she minds if the Undersecretary of State dies?"

There was a pause as Dad rolled his eyes and made silly faces at the phone. "I'll be there. We get married at five, that gives me about four hours to figure it out…I'll dress at the hospital….He's here with me. Okay, I'll take him with me." Dad hung up, "You're with me bud."

We drove home, banged on the door, announced we were there so that Dad wouldn't see Auri and then got our tuxes and things. Driving to the hospital, Dad looked over at me, "Well, are you happy?"

I nodded, "She can be annoying, but I still like having her around better than not having her."

Dad started laughing, "You nailed marriage on the head. What about a new brother, you ready for that?"

I gave him a big grin, "Dad, this kid is already cool. He sends out waves of impressions. I can't figure them out yet, but they're loud." I turned off the radio.

"Why are you turning off the radio?"

"Dad, you wouldn't believe the amount of noise in my head right now. I bet Auri's having the same problem. There's a ton of Intuitives in close proximity and I guess none of them use a phone. Most of them are gossiping about you and me."

"Wait, go back, what are you talking about?"

"Some of Auri's friends that are here for the wedding are Intuitives and they keep talking about the fact that you're marrying your second Intuitive and that Auri is going to be mother to Teag's kid. They keep thinking that you must be some wimp, because Intuitives tend to fall for sensitive men." We both laughed.

When we got to the hospital the team was waiting by the white board for Dad. I'd sat through several differentials in my life so this was nothing new. But, everyone seemed anxious because they wanted to make the wedding on time. I knew that as soon as Dad sent his team to run tests, he was going to ask me what they had been thinking. He always loved figuring out a way to use their thoughts against them.

So, I sat there and listened to their thoughts. Thirteen no longer worked for Dad, she had left, but he had a new, pretty woman, about Auri's age, who had taken her place. Taub was no longer on the team either. He had switched to plastic surgery as soon as the Fellowship had expired. Dr. Cameron had also joined Dad's team again. So he had two women and one male, Dr. Spiegel. Dr. Cameron knew I could read minds, so she was always suspicious, cautious around me. But, today she was preoccupied and I could see why, she had feelings for Dad and it was making her sad that he was getting married. I felt bad for her; she apparently had loved him for years. But Dad didn't feel the same way about her. He was amused by her affection, flattered, and he liked her, but not like he liked Auri.

Spiegel was wondering if he could use an experimental diagnostic tool on the patient, something I'm sure Dad would love and Dr. Cuddy loathe. The new doctor, Dr. Karen Wilkes, was worried about the creatine levels, the blood counts and the MRI results. Strangely, she wasn't thinking at all about herself, Dad or anything juicy.

I was having trouble reading them because of the chatter going on in Princeton. I never knew Intuitives could be so noisy. It sounded like a busy restaurant in my head. I could hear them all talking about getting rides to the wedding, asking what they were wearing, who my Dad was, it was amazing and annoying. Two of them got into a fight over an old boyfriend that apparently one stole from the other. There was a lot of cussing going on.

"Hey Dude, you better go to the doctor's lounge and get a shower. You know where my locker is, there should be a couple of towels in there. Leave one for me."

I knew my Dad's locker combination which was my mother's birthday. I got out the towel, soap and shampoo and then took my shower. Dr. Chase showed up as I was getting dressed. He tested the water and got into one of the showers.

Yelling over the stall, he asked, "Furey? What are you doing here? Isn't your Dad getting married in a couple of hours?"

"Yeah, he's got a new patient." I put on the pants to my evening suit, the white shirt and the satin, deep blue, tie. I had left the tuxedo coat in Dad's office.

"Well, I was just going to get ready and then grab a snack to hold me over until the reception, but maybe I could go and help him."

I shrugged, I wasn't sure. Dad was a little weird when it came to Dr. Chase. He liked him, but thought he was too nice at times. Yet, when Dad got stuck and his team was useless, he'd frequently ask Dr. Chase down to see if he could give them a jump start. Dad never said this out loud. Instead, he'd make up some silly reason to get Chase down to his office, but of all the team members Dad had trained, Chase was the one who Dad was proudest of. Dr. Chase could diagnose almost as well as Dad. I think Dad was a little surprised and amused by this. He had expected Drs. Foreman or Cameron to be better, but they weren't. It was the Australian doctor with the nice hair that ended up being more like my Dad, talent-wise, than any of them.

After putting on my socks and shoes, I followed Dr. Chase back to my Dad's office and took a seat while he read the white board. He picked up the chart just as my Dad looked up from his desk. Dad immediately charged into the room. I thought at first he was mad, but he wasn't. I could feel that he was glad to see him, relieved, like the cavalry had arrived.

"You have nothing to do?" Dad asked.

"I was just getting ready for a lousy wedding, but I heard the groom had a puzzle to solve before he could attend."

Dad stopped all pretenses; he really wanted Dr. Chase's help. He sat down and watched as Dr. Chase read the chart. I could hear the various diagnosis and checks going on in both Dad and Dr. Chases' mind. It was really interesting to watch the way they both thought. It wasn't that different. My Dad was bouncing thoughts around faster than Dr. Chase, rummaging through journal articles he had read. Dr. Chase was doing something similar, but where Dad was cross-referencing articles at lightning speed, Dr. Chase had to pull each article up, one at a time, from his memory. I got to see how my Dad's brain differs from others. I was really proud of him. His brain kicked butt.

Dr. Chase started to think out loud, reading the white board, "Syncope in a healthy man. Father is Korean War Vet, married a Japanese woman and moved back here."

"Dad? What's syncope?"

Dad looked up, a little disoriented by my question, "Fainting."

Dr. Chase continued, "Ends up in the emergency department. Wife says that they were talking in the kitchen when he complained of feeling dizzy and then nauseated. He slumped over the table and then fell out of his chair, hitting his head on the floor. He regained consciousness. No seizure like activity, no jerky body movements, tongue biting, or incontinence when he was unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he was fully awake, alert, and conversant; no period of confusion or garbled speech. He's had several similar episodes in the past several years, but he has never sought medical evaluation for them. The patient's family history is significant for an uncle who died in his 30s without apparent cause."

Dad looked at the white board, "His vital signs are stable, heart rate of 82, blood pressure of 135/85. His respirations are 12 breaths/min, and an oxygen reading while breathing room air is 100%. His ECG is slightly elongated, but nothing to write home about."

"Is that good?" I asked.

Dad raised his eyebrows and glanced up at me, "That's normal." He went to the computer and pulled something up, "CBC normal." He looked back at the computer, "Cardiac examination reveals a regular rhythm with no significant murmurs or gallops. Chest examination demonstrates easy, nonlabored respirations, with no abnormal breath sounds. The neurologic examination is also unremarkable, including normal cranial nerve inspection, normal gross motor and sensory function, no pronator drift, and normal speech."

Dr. Chase smiled, "He's on Limbitrol for depression."

Dad jumped up, "Where does it say that?"

"It doesn't actually, but it says that he saw Dr. Honeyman at Walter Reed. I met Honeyman, he's a psychiatrist."

Dad nodded and grinned, a light going on, "You see a therapist for therapy, a shrink for medication. You're right, that would explain it."

Dr. Chase nodded.

Dad grabbed his cane and started out the door, Dr. Chase followed. I ran after them. We went up to a room where a man was being guarded by a man with an earpiece! It was like an episode of 24. He stopped my Dad, who pushed his arm off with his cane.

My Dad snapped, "I'm his doctor, idiot."

"Where's your lab coat and hospital i.d.?"

"I left it on your wife's night table."

Dr. Chase jumped in, "This is Dr. House, thee Dr. House, the one that your boss was brought all the way to Princeton to see."

The guy thought about it and then nodded for them to go in, but he stopped me. My Dad turned around and looked at the guy.

Dad narrowed his eyes at the guy, "What are you doing? Let him in."

The guy screwed up his face, "He's a kid!"

My Dad rolled his eyes, "Haven't you ever seen Doogie Howser? This kid is a world famous cardiologist." Dad looked at me, "Come on."

I smiled at the guy and walked inside. My Dad was hovering at the bottom of the bed, almost yelling, "You've been holding back on us. You saw a shrink and he gave you a prescription didn't he? But, to keep it from ruining your diplomatic career, he didn't mark it in your chart did he?"

The man looked scared. I read him and he was really nervous because his wife didn't know about his depression, neither did his boss, the Secretary of State. I could tell he was depressed because his girlfriend left him. I didn't think that would go over well with his wife.

I cleared my throat and everyone looked at me, "Dr. House, could I talk to you?"

My Dad started to crack up because I was so serious, "Yes, Dr. Furey, let's step out for a minute."

We all stepped outside, "He's taking the drug you asked about, but he's going to deny it because he was depressed over his girlfriend leaving him. She worked with him so now, not only does he miss her, but he's working extra hard now that she's gone."

Dr. Chase pulled back and stared at me, "Girlfriend? I wonder how his wife feels about that?"

Dad started smirking.

"Dad, don't do anything bad. They've just made up after being apart. _Kind of like you and Auri_."

Dad stopped and looked at Chase to see if he caught what I said. He looked a little embarrassed. I guess my little speech took the wind out of his sail because he said, "Oh God, come on."

"Mrs. Thompson, can you please leave the room, we need to do some tests and he can't have any distractions."

Mrs. Thompson left and Dr. Chase closed the blinds.

My Dad sat down in a chair and leaned forward, "My son says you nailed your assistant, she got tired of your sorry ass, left you, you got sad, you took drugs and one of them just happened to be, Limbitrol."

The man looked shocked, scared. I thought he was going to throw up. He just stared at us, saying nothing.

Dad got up, "I take it that's a yes. You're lucky we found that out." Dad sounded really sarcastic.

Dr. Chase took over, "Your Limbitrol was masking the classic ECT waves we look for if you have certain diseases. If you weren't taking Limbitrol, we could have diagnosed you sooner. Your own physician might have caught it."

The man looked at Dad, "Dr. House, what is it? What do I have?"

Dad looked up, "You have Brugada syndrome. Your thirty year old uncle probably died from it."

Dr. Chase nodded, "It's genetic, found at a higher rate in people of Japanese descent. We'll have to implant an automatic cardioverter defibrillator, in case your heart stops. We need to stop your anti-depressants so that we can check your ECT again without the drug in your system. Dr. House will turn you over to the cardiologist."

Dad looked at the clock, "_Crap! It's three-forty-five!" _He jumped up and ran out the door. Dr. Chase made some notes and then called in the nurse and told her what to do. He nodded for me to follow him and we went up to a lab where the team was working over microscopes.

Dr. Cameron saw him and immediately I felt this tension. She and Dr. Chase used to date and I guess she cheated on him and things got ugly. Dr. Chase simply said, "You guys can stop and get ready for the wedding. He has Brugada syndrome."

"What?" Dr. Cameron was blown away.

The team desperately wanted to hear how they reached that conclusion, but Chase turned and we left. "Dr. Chase? They want you to explain it to them."

"They can read the chart; we need to get you and your Dad to the church."

I went in and found Dad showering. When he got out and was drying off I saw the large scar that formed a crater in his thigh. I always hate seeing his leg because I know how much it hurts him. But, I noticed for the first time as I sat on the bench that he has a longer penis than Uncle Jimmy. I guess that makes sense because he's taller, but then my penis looks different than Uncle Jimmy's and I'm not sure why.

"Dude, why are you looking at my tackle?" Dad was drying off.

"Dad? Are we different than Uncle Jimmy?"

"How do you know that?"

I could feel Dad get a little anxious, wondering how I had seen Uncle Jimmy's penis. "Daaaddd. We went to the lake and were fishing. It was hot, so I took off my clothes, jumped in, and so did he."

"Well, the only tackle I want Uncle Jimmy demonstrating is the fishing tackle."

"Daaad."

He started laughing as he put on his pants, shirt, tie and then his socks and shoes. Most women think Dad is handsome. They like his blue eyes, long fingers, square jaw. I'm always getting told that we look alike. I hope so; I'd like women to find me handsome too. When he looked at me, I thought he looked like James Bond, really cool

"Your Uncle Jimmy is Jewish which means when he's a baby a funny man with a beard takes a whack at his willy with a knife, cuts a piece of skin off and throws it to the dog. It's call circumcision. Jews and a lot of the hospitals in the USA do it, but it's not necessary as long as you keep your willy clean. You and I didn't have anyone brave enough to start whacking at our massive members. It would have taken too long." He looked at his watch, "We need to get our coats and get going. Auri is probably having a cow. We're just going to make it."

Dad looked around for Dr. Chase as we walked towards the car, "He left Dad; he needed to go get ready for the wedding. You look nice Dad."

He ruffled my hair, "You look pretty spiffy yourself."

We didn't say much on the way over. Dad was thinking about Auri and the wedding. He was a little nervous. I was trying to turn down the volume in my head. By the time we got to Lambertville Station a half hour later, it was really loud. Psychics can be really noisy! We turned into the parking lot and I saw Uncle Jimmy pacing on the sidewalk. As soon as he saw us, there was a look of relief. Pulling out his phone, I could tell he was phoning Auri to let her know that Dad had showed.

We jumped out of the car and surprisingly, Uncle Jimmy said nothing about us running late. He knew that Dad didn't have a choice.

"Did you get him diagnosed?" Uncle Jimmy asked.

Dad nodded.

Two cars pulled into the parking lot, one with Dr. Chase, the other with Dad's team. They all walked over to us.

"Can we help?" Cameron asked.

Dad shook his head, "We just have to get in and put on our flowers and get going. Go take your seats."

As we walked to the side door, Dad looked at his watch; it was five minutes to five. As soon as we entered the building, Grandmom pinned the flowers on Dad and me and the minister gave us instructions. We walked into a little side hallway where Uncle Jimmy and Grandmom were waiting. Grandmom combed my hair then turned to straighten Dad up. Some guy was snapping photos right and left. Dad actually bent down and gave Grandmom a kiss which startled her. He wasn't usually so spontaneously affectionate.

He looked over at me, "I hope you know what you got us into." He shook his head, "You and your Star Trek Conventions. Are you ready to get married?"

I nodded and couldn't help but grin. He smiled back.

"Dad, I love you."

"Same goes for me. Now let's get this party started." He threw open the door and walked to the corner of the room where they were to be married under one of the chandeliers. The place was really pretty with the sun low over the rivers which you could see from three walls of glass. I stood by Dad and Uncle Jimmy stood by me as we waited.

The music started, classical music. We all looked door at the end of the aisle. One of Auri's friends who lived in New York entered the room and walked down the aisle followed by Dr. Cuddy. They took their places and then everyone turned to look again at the door, we were waiting for Auri, but she didn't walk down the aisle. There was no one. I looked at Dad and Dad looked at Dr. Cuddy. Dr. Cuddy shrugged her shoulders. I saw Dr. Chase rush out the door and Dad started to go towards the door, but Dr. Cameron held up a hand from the back.

"It's okay! She just felt woozy, she's alright. Get back in place. Give her a few minutes and then start the music."

A few minutes later the music began again, but I could barely hear it from all the conversations going on between the Intuitives. "I thought she'd come to her senses." "What is she doing getting pregnant and married at her age?" "That's what she gets for taking on so much responsibility." "I hope she's okay." "Her fiancé isn't bad for being so old." "So that's Teagan's son? Hmmm, he looks like his Dad."

It was non-stop until we actually saw Auri enter the room on the arm of Dr. Chase who walked her down the aisle. She was so pretty and so pregnant! I felt like jumping up and down. She sent me a huge wave of love and I returned it. She was nervous, but really, really happy. So was Dad. Everyone stood up and watched, the mental voices were mostly quiet except for the occasional exchange of how beautiful and happy she looked. When she got to us, she stepped over and gave me a kiss and everyone said, 'ahhhh.' I blushed.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

**The Voices are Stilled**

I had been standing in the lobby ready to walk myself down the aisle, but the world started spinning and as I tried to get my balance, I knew I was losing blood pressure and going down for the count. I landed on my butt, my bouquet flying out of my hand. I didn't completely pass out, but I was dizzy. Chase was in the back having just come from the bathroom. He saw me start to lose it and rushed out to help me to my feet.

"Let's sit you down for a second." Chase pulled a chair out of the room for me to sit on and then brought me a drink of water.

"Thanks." I said as the water glided down my throat.

"Are you sure this is what you want? You're biting off quite a bit."

I had to laugh, Chase was probably the fiftieth person to ask me that in the last two weeks. "I'm sure. I'm very sure."

"Then, why don't I give you an arm to help you down the aisle?"

I liked Chase, he was always kind and fun to be around, "That would be wonderful Robert."

He put his arm out and I took it. We went over and picked up my bouquet as the music started again. I hung onto Chase, maybe a little too tightly, because I felt him tense from the pressure. We walked down the aisle which was flanked with round tables rather than chairs. I wanted everyone to be comfortable with a glass of wine and water. Blythe and Jennifer were at the table closest to Greg, Furey and Jim. Sarah was being babysat upstairs in their hotel room so that the Wilsons could have fun. I then saw Greg. He looked so handsome; I wanted to kiss him right then and there. He was smiling at me, his eyes bright and happy. Next to him was a mini-House, my sweet, sweet Furey. He also looked happy and handsome in his tux. I couldn't resist giving him a kiss on his cheek. The psychic noise had died down and most of them behaved through the ceremony, which lasted fifteen minutes.

Do I remember the wedding ceremony? No. I remember looking into Greg's eyes and mumbling things, but until he gave me one of his deep French kisses; I don't remember what was said or done. The baby was now doing gymnastics whenever I stood still and the wedding was no exception. I kept feeling the butterfly feelings of the baby doing his thing. I do remember one thing about the ceremony; Greg said, "I do" rather loudly and to the cheers and applause of the teams from the hospital. When it was over we went out to the lobby and then outside to pose for photographs.

Did I tell you it was one of the happiest days in my life? It was.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At the reception the psychic chatter was overwhelming. I would walk up to a table and be greeted by civilians (those without psi ability) and then be bombarded with questions in my head from the Intuitives. I'm sure the civilians thought there was something wrong with me.

"Congratulations, Auri. You make a stunning bride. How far along are you?" Karen, the new woman on Greg's team asked.

At the same time, Marcus, my gay friend from the FBI psi school, was blasting questions at me_, How long have you known this gorgeous man you married?_

I was hearing Marcus, but looking at poor Karen. It was like having a blue tooth in your ear and the people around you don't know what you're hearing.

"A year."

Karen tilted her head, "That can't be right Auri…"

I looked down at her and realized that she had asked a question. "I'm sorry Karen, what did you ask?"

Marcus shook his head,_ He's really good looking. No one can be that good looking, smart and not have something wrong. I bet he has a small penis._

Karen shook her head, "Doesn't matter, House looked handsome."

I laughed, "He's really hung."

She turned a bright red and then I realized what I had just said to her, apparently out of the blue, "Oh, Karen, I'm sorry, but I have a voice in my head talking to me."

She was completely confused so I moved on to the next table.

_Auri?_

It was Alexis, the psi who was kicked out of the FBI for smoking dope.

_Yes?_

_Can you settle a bet I have with Ken Jeffries?_

_What?_

_He says that your stepson is psychic, I said no._

I was about to answer, but Furey did for me.

_I'm not psychic, I'm just plain cute._

Alexis looked around and found Furey staring at her.

_Auri, he's strong, isn't he?_

_Yes, very talented. _I projected.

_Thank you, Mom._

My heart pounded, he had never called me Mom. I walked across the room and looked into his eyes. "Furey, you called me Mom."

He nodded, "I think my Mom would have liked that."

I started crying. Greg came over and bent down to look at me, "What's with the tears?"

I turned and held both of them. The photographer caught the moment. Greg was still confused, but realized that weddings were emotional and I was hormonal.

Furey looked at his Dad, "I called her Mom."

Dad threw his head back and rolled his eyes. He kissed me, "You're such a pushover. Don't forget, he's the spawn of the great manipulator."

The cake was gorgeous, a three layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and white swirls. It was very modern. When we cut the cake, Greg took some and was poised as if he was going to smear it on my face. I closed my eyes and prepared myself to take it. Instead of cake, I felt two lips on mine. I opened my eyes and, after the kiss, he gently fed me a piece of cake. I was surprised that he didn't smash it into my face.

Jim gave the Best Man's Speech and Lisa also gave us a toast. We had a disc jockey who played music from mostly the sixties and seventies, lots of disco. Greg selected our first dance, _Blues in the Night _(not my choice.)

_My mama done tol' me, when I was in knee-pants  
My mama done tol' me, " Son-- a woman'll sweet talk"  
And give ya the big eye, but when the sweet talkin's done  
A woman's a two-face, A worrisome thing who'll  
Leave ya to sing the blues in the night_

"Okay, now tell me again why this song is appropriate for a wedding?" I asked as I saw the mystified looks and heard all the psychics ask each other, _Blues in the Night?_

"Well, for one, it's one of my favorite songs, and, it's also true."

We continued our somewhat limited dance, because of his leg, around the floor.

"Huh? You're the one who was two-faced…almost kissing my friend!"

He whispered, "Ah! But, it was your friend who was really two-faced, trying to get me to kiss her. Besides, it's a cautionary tale to our sons."

I squeezed him, "I'm not going to argue, I'm just going to enjoy holding you in my arms."

"Good idea."

_Now the rain's a-fallin', hear the train's a-callin,  
"Whooee!"Hear dat lonesome whistle blowin' 'cross the trestle, "Whooee!"  
A-whooee-ah-whooee ol' clickety-clack's a-echoin' back th' blues in the night_

_  
From Natchez to Mobile, from Memphis to St. Joe, wherever the four winds blow  
I been in some big towns an' heard me some big talk, but there is one thing I know  
A woman's a two-face, a worrisome thing who'll leave ya to sing the blues in the night  
My mama was right, there's blues in the night._

Blythe, with a serious look on her face, grabbed the microphone when we were done, "Auri, I want you to know I never did tell him that women were two-faced."

We all laughed. The next dance, Greg and his mother took the floor and I grabbed Furey to dance. Again, the song wasn't my choice, _Memories Are Made of This,_ but I wasn't complaining. I had left the music up to the musician, so what did I expect?

In the end, the porters helped us take all the presents to the hotel room. I got undressed while Greg went next door to make sure that Furey was settled in his room, which had an adjoining door to ours. He came back to the room and removed his tie, belt and shoes. Going over to the champagne, Greg poured us two glasses. Figuring one glass wasn't going to hurt the baby; I sipped on it while I hung the dress, removed my makeup and took off my slip.

He looked at me and started laughing.

"Excuse me? What are you laughing at?"

"You're standing there in a garter belt, bra, panties, nylons and very pregnant. Let me preface what I'm going to say next by the fact that I love you dearly, but I feel like I'm in a French farce."

I took my champagne over to the bed and put it down on the night table, "I take it that you're telling me I don't turn you on?" I took off the garter belt, nylons, bra and panties, then crawled under the covers, assuming that this must mean we weren't having sex.

"Honey, you turn me on, but right now, it's more by touch than by sight. Although the view from behind isn't bad." He must have seen my mouth turn down, "Auri, you're beautiful, not sexy, but beautiful in that 'glowing pregnancy' way, okay?"

I could accept that. I tilted my head, "Do you want to make love?"

"Are you too tired?"

I thought about it, "No, I could if you wanted."

He thought for a second, "I think I'd rather have sex tomorrow, but remember, we have a plane to catch at noon."

'Where are we going?"

"You'll find out at the airport, right now, just snuggle up to me and we'll get some sleep."

He climbed in naked behind my naked body. It was funny how good it felt to have a warm, hairy man holding me as I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes and saw a sliver of light through the pulled privacy curtains and realized it was morning. I slipped my hand between his legs and started to slowly stroke the inside of his thigh. He was still asleep, but I saw some movement between his legs. He still seemed asleep as my tongue played with him. I was surprised when he came so quickly.

Greg looked down at me and yelled, "Oh Crap! I thought it was just a wet dream! Wow, that was bizarre." He shook his head and took a deep breath, "I had a dream where we were on the USS Enterprise and screwing in the captain's chair."

"Really? And what was I?"

"A Betazed."

"I guess that makes sense." I mopped my mouth and took a swig of water, "I didn't expect you to shoot your wad! I guess that leaves me out in the cold."

He smirked and motioned for me to get on my back, "When did I ever not please my _wife_?"

It was a joke since we had only been married twelve hours, but it brought home the fact that I had a husband. I jumped on him and hugged him, "My husband! Oh my God! You are my husband!"

He chuckled, "You know that's what weddings are all about, I become your husband, you become my slave."

"Yeah, well, who's going to go down on me?"

"I guess that would be the husband. So, lay back and spread those legs."

Being the good wife, I did what I was told. There is nothing like a good tongue to get you started in the morning. With all those endomorphins flowing through my body, I was one happy camper.

We eventually packed up the gifts into the Wilsons' van and sent Blythe and Furey home with them. Blythe was staying an extra week to look after Furey while we went on our honeymoon. I could tell that she was ecstatic. The idea of being with her grandson for a week plus being able to snoop through the house was her idea of a good time. Greg and I put our bags in the trunk and took off for the airport.

We got up to the check-in and I was surprised to discover that we were going to Paris, France. _Why?_ I'd been to Paris several times and as much as I enjoyed it and the French, I wasn't exactly excited about going back. In fact, I had hinted on a few places that I did want to go, like Argentina, Italy, Nepal, but no, I was getting Paris!

I didn't say anything, but I was somewhat subdued. I had been really excited about Greg choosing a place to go on vacation. He knew I'd been to Paris several times. I just didn't understand him.

We arrived at the Hotel le Mathurins around midnight, Paris time. It's a gorgeous boutique hotel, somewhat modern French. I was pleased with the location, on the right bank in the Madeline section of Paris, close to the Concorde. We checked in and prepared for bed.

I forget that Greg is somewhat psychic himself, because he climbed into bed and watched me as I sat on the edge of the bed reading the hotel brochure.

"Breakfast is from 7:00 am to 10:30 am." I turned and looked at him to see his reaction.

He grimaced, "All right, what's wrong? You don't like Paris?"

I felt bad, he had obviously done a lot of leg work to pick such a wonderful hotel and flying over in Business Class. Now I felt sheepish for being a killjoy. I crawled up next to him and cuddled, "I'm sorry honey, I'm just curious as to why you chose Paris?"

"Because I'm bored with Paris." He said.

Now, I was completely confused. "You chose it because it bores you?"

"I've been here a few times. It has its charms and beauty, but I think the entire city is overpriced."

I shook my head in disbelief, "So why are we here?"

"Because for five years Stacy wanted me to bring her here. When we broke up, she said something to the effect that, if I had really loved her, I would have stuffed my feelings about Paris and taken her. I guess Paris is my way of saying I love you more than Stacy."

I started laughing and hugging him. He gave me something he never gave Stacy, even though it was something I never wanted. It was actually a very grand gesture and I adored him for it.

He kissed me, "By the way, we have two more nights in Paris and then we fly to Venice. We're going to spend three nights in Venice, two nights in Florence and then back through Paris."

I screamed and hugged him! I was so excited! I love Venice, I love Florence, I love my husband! "Tomorrow baby, we're going to have lots of sex, so get to sleep. I'm going to call your Mom, let her know we're okay, check on Furey and then get some sleep myself."

I woke up the next morning to see Greg sitting on the balcony in his jeans and long sleeve t-shirt reading one of his damn journals. I started to take off all my clothes, but remembered that my pregnant belly wasn't exactly a turn on. So I put a robe on and went over to the window and opened the door, it was chilly outside and I could feel my nipples harden. Perfect. I undid the robe on top and, as Greg looked up, I exposed my breasts without exposing the lower half of me. The fact that half of Paris could see me if they looked up caused him to smile. He pulled me over and started to suck on my nipples.

"We better move this inside." I said as my groin began to feel tingly.

"Can't we just do it out here? You could unzip me, take off your panties and we just do the nasty out here?"

"You're a little old to be an exhibitionist? It's chilly out here honey. Let's…Oh…" He was licking and sucking while I tried to talk. As I closed my eyes, I felt a hand up my robe, rubbing me through my panties. I was getting wet and ready to ride anything. He wasn't budging so I stood up, pulled my panties down and then unzipped him. I could feel the bulge pushing at the fabric of his boxers. I fumbled around and pulled him through the slat in the boxers. He was sitting in the Paris sunshine with a perfect boner, shiny and wet, ready to go. I straddled him and lowered down, grinding lightly on the tip of his erection. He grabbed himself and rubbed my clit causing me to wince with pleasure. He pushed up inside of me ever so slightly, teasing me over and over. I grabbed him and lowered myself on his shaft, he began to pump faster and faster, his hands on my now semi-covered breasts. Anyone watching would know by our movements that we were having sex, but they wouldn't actually see skin. I looked over at the apartment building and saw a man in his living room. I don't know if he saw us or not, but we were a pretty big target.

Leaning forward I pulled up Greg's t-shirt and rubbed my breasts on his chest while nibbling his ear lobe. He picked up the pace while letting out the occasional grunt and moan. We were this huddled mass bouncing up and down on the patio chair, until Greg, face buried between my breasts, stopped, let out a gasp, bucked up, let out a moan, bucked up again and moaned again. After a few seconds he started to push me up.

"You're going to have to get that tank you call an ass off of me, my leg can't hold you anymore."

I jumped up and clutched my robe. He stood up, grabbing my hand and hobbled to the bed, throwing me on the bed. He started rubbing me and dipping his fingers into me. I wanted to come, but the disruption in the sex had slowed my libido down. But as he continued, the blood rushed to my groin and I felt my libido kick into overdrive. The wave of the orgasm started from my clit, spread to my vagina, my thighs and then up to my breasts. It was too much.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Oh God, oh God…that's it, Greg, Greg, Greg…oh, my God." The waves came strong and hard. I started to feel uncomfortable so I rolled away.

He started to laugh. "You're an orgasmic bowling pin. How's the baby?"

"I don't feel any protests, he must have enjoyed it."

"Probably scared him when he saw the one eye monster coming up the canal."

"You wish, he probably thought it was Puff the Magic Dragon. Well, no more sex on balconies if you're going to call me fat!"

"Bowling Pin, I called you a bowling pin."

"Just shut up and let's get going. I'd like to go to the Musee de Orsay today."

He kissed me and rubbed my belly before finally standing up to take a shower. We dressed and went to the museum and then walked the shops and restaurants on the left bank, my favorite part of Paris. By the time we got back to the hotel, my back was hurting and my feet were aching.

As we lay in the bed in Paris, the City of Lights, I realized that I was incredibly happy. I was safe in the arms of the man I loved, pregnant with our baby, step-mother to a good kid and relatively healthy. I knew I was tempting fate by being content, but who could fault me? After all we had been through, we had managed to find and hang on to each other. I looked over at him, his eyes closed, his face calm, satisfied and wondered if the was as happy as I was?

"Greg?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you believe this? I mean, can you believe that we're married?"

"When I get the bill for the reception I will." He opened an eye and looked at me, chuckling at the look on my face, "Auri, if anyone had told me when I was young that I'd be married, not once, but twice, have not one, but two kids, I'd have laughed my head off. But I've learned that I have to let go of the reins and let life take me where it has to go. And right now, it has to go to sleep. Now, get your fat ass over here and let me give you the cuddle you so pathetically want."

I got my fat ass over and we cuddled.

The End.

**Dear Readers: Hope you enjoyed the series Intuitive and Betazed. Please leave a review if you can. The only payment the authors on receive are your reviews. Thanks again for reading. Gorblimey2**


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